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t UNITED STATES OK AMERICA, f 



HISTORY 



OF 



The Old South Meeting-House 



IN 



BOSTON. 



By EVERETT W. BURDETT. 



BOSTON : 

B. B. RUSSELL. 

1877. 




?r 



F73 



COPTBIGHT, 1877, 
BT 

EVERETT W. BURDETT. 



PHnted by Rand, Avery, & Co., Boston. 



PREFACE. 



The thousands who have felt iuterested in the fate of the Old South Meet- 
ing-House have nowhere been able to find a connected record of the events 
which have rendered it illustrious. These pages are intended to supply this 
deficiency, and to create a larger veneration for the monument whose his- 
tory they record. The author waited long before beginning a work which 
would seem to be so worthy of an abler pen. But no such work appear- 
ing, this was begun and finished in the hope that it might at least be 
deemed better than none at all. 

At the meeting of June 14, 1876, it was said that if there were time to 
tell to the people the story of this building, the money for its preservation 
would be forthcoming. " For every city, every church, every house, 
every man, every woman that has a dime, hearing this thing properly put 
before them, inspired by the memories of this place, would give and give 
freely that not a stone of this foundation, not a brick of these walls, not a 
tile of this roof over us, should be touched from this time forward, even 
forever." 

Sharing this faith, the author contributes this sketch to the cause of 
preservation, and trusts that, in some measure, it may be instrumental in 
creating a public sentiment which will render the destruction of the Old 
South impossible. Though it has been found impracticable to make it a 
part of the official programme, it is hoped that it may not entirely fail in 
promoting the common cause. 

This little volume does not pretend to be a church history. Nor does it 
profess to be a history of that religious corporation legally known as the 
Old South Society in Boston. Though having asked little and received 
no aid from the curator of the records of that association, the writer has 
suffen;d therefrom but little inconvenience: material from other sources 
has been abundant. The following sketch is simply a plain recital of the 



story of one of the most historic buildings in America — the brick church, 
popularly known as the Old South Meeting- House. Such a recital neces- 
sarily deals to some extent with the history of the church or society; but 
it is most largely devoted to those associations of a particular building, 
which make it inleresting to the general public. If the mode of treat- 
ment be found to be at all worthy of the subject, the following pages will 
not fail to prove of general interest. The limits of the work forbid the 
full development of the antiquities of the meeting-house, but the prin- 
cipal features are presented and enough is given to show upon what basis 
the fame of the Old South is founded. As to whatever inaccuracies may 
be discovered, the author can only jTromise in the words of a worthier 
writer, that "if the work be found of sufBcient merit to require another 
edition, they will probably be corrected, and if no such demand is made, 
the book has received as much labor as it deserves." 

The authorities consulted in the preparation of this history are suffi- 
ciently indicated in the text and foot-notes. Suffice it to say, that these 
pages have not been thrown together carelessly or without investigation. 
Careful researches have been made, notwithstanding the fact that the 
limits of the work forbade the reproduction of much of the informa- 
tion thus acquired. Among the most valuable of the authorities consulted 
were the following: A series of four sermons on the History of the Old 
South Church, or Society, preached by R.ev. Dr. Benj. B. Wisner in 1830, 
and, by request, published in the same year of their delivery ; S. G. Drake's 
" History and Antiquities of Boston," which was never brought down to 
a later date than 1770; Richard Frothingham's "Life and Times of Joseph 
Warren;" Wm. V. Well's "Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams;" 
and George Bancroft's "History of the United States." Besides these 
many other historical and biographical works relating to the same periods 
have been consulted. 

To the sermons of Dr. Wisner the author is indebted, more than to any 
other source, for the material for the first three chapters of this work. 
But though Dr. Wisner presented a full history of the church as a church 
down to (he year in which he wrote, he almost entirely neglected the civil 
and political associations of the meeting-house. It is to the latter that 
these paijes are principally devoted, and it is to them that the Old South 
chiefly owes the celebrity it enjoys. 



The proper study of the history of Boston — and of the Old South 
Meeting House, for the two are inseparable— during the period embracing 
these events can be had from no one or several publications in bookform. 
Private and official correspondence and contemporary public prints are 
invalulible for this purpose. 

If newspapers can properly be said to bo " photographs of passingtime," 
both those of the colonies in the third quarter of the eighteenth century 
and those of Boston and New York in the last half of the nineteenth 
century, well deserve the name. A notable collection of newspaper 
clippings upon a single topic is that in the possession of Mr. George W. 
Simmons, Jr., of Boston, which comprises over eight hundred articles, long 
and short, concerning the Old South Meeting-House. The fact that these 
articles have all appeared since the 7th of June, 1876, and are principally 
taken from the papers of Boston and New York, furnishes some indica- 
tion of the interest which exists upon the subject to which these pages are 
devoted. Had it not been for this collection, the compilation of the last 
chapter of this work, undertaken after the excitement of the work of 
preservation had subsided, would have been a task of not a little difficulty 
and vexation. 

The papers of the period just prior to the Revolution, when taken to- 
gether and properly studied, present an accurate and animated picture of 
the times in which they were published. Access has been had to rare and 
valuable files of these publications, embracing the years 17G7 to 1775 
inclusive. Among them the papers which were found to be most valuable 
for the purposes of this work were the Boston Chronicle, whose publication 
ceased in 17 70; the Boston Evcnmg Post, an independent paper whose 
columns were open to AVhig and Tory alike; and the Boston Gazette, the 
most patriotic and most popular of all the publications of the time and 
place. Perusing the same columns scanned by the patriots, and reading 
the same articles which fired their zeal or roused their indignation, one 
can hardly fail to catch something of the spirit of the times and to form a 
somewhat vivid conception of the events by which they were distinguished. 

E. W. B. 

Melrose, Dec. 1, 1877. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
CHAPTER I. 

Origin and Foundation of the Old South Church, 8 

CHAPTER II. 
History OF the Old Cedar Meeting-House, 11 

CHAPTER m. 
The Old South Church: its Erection and Early History, 20 

CHAPTER IV. 
Dawn of the Revolution, 30 

CHAPTER V. 
The Old South and the Boston Massacre, 42 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Old South and the Boston Tea Troubles, 55 

CHAPTER Vn. 

The Old South and the Destruction of the Tea, 66 

CHAPTER Vm. 
Anniversaries of the Boston Massacre and Occupation 
OP THE Old South by British Cavalry, 73 

CHAPTER IX. 
Latter Days, 86 

Ballad ok the French Fleet, by Henry W. Longfellow, 105 



I. 

ORIGIN AND FOUNDATION OF THE OLD SOUTH 
CHURCH. 

Concerning theological disputes who shall say, There is 
no profit in them ? That there have flown from them many 
evils, is no doubt true ; but that these evils have not been 
unmixed with good, is equally indisputable. In New Eng- 
land, certainly, they have not failed to accomplish beneficial 
as well as mighty results. Among the doctrinal questions 
which early agitated the colonial mind, few, if any, were 
more fruitful in results than this, — ''Who are the subjects 
of baptism?" It is sufficient to say of the importance of 
this problem, that it gave birth to the Old South Church. 
This, "like too many other churches of Christ," as has been 
said, " originated in bitter contentions among those who are 
bound, by their profession, as well as by the precept of 
heaven, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
peace." ' That this question of baptism not only was not 
fruitless in good, but on the contrary yielded a most abun- 
dant harvest, is sufficiently attested by the history of the 
Old South Church. 

The most historic of all American churches, the present 
edifice has won a place in the hearts of the people hardly 
second to that of any other spot or place in the Union. So 
thoroughly is it identified with those events which preceded 
and precipitated the disruption of the bond between the 
American colonies and the mother country, that its history 
and that of the Union are inseparably intertwined. Neither 
can be sundered from the other and leave an unbroken rec- 
ord. Within its walls some of the boldest words of Amer- 
ica's most fearless patriots Avere proclaimed, and from its 
rostrum went forth appeals which fanned into flame a fire 
which drove the British from our shores. Eare Sam Adams, 

' Dr. Wisner, Sermon 1. 



who is said to have forced unwilling colonists into war, and 
who foresaw rebellion long before his colleagues dreamed of 
more than protest, led the people here. Those old walls, 
which now are shadowed by a Vandal hand, have resounded 
to the shouts of freemen, and echoed the eloquence of pa- 
triots like Warren, Hancock, Otis, and Quincy. At its 
doors was first heard the war-cry of the Moha^vk, indicating 
that there were strong hands and fearless hearts ready to 
execute what the people had resolved. It Avas within its 
walls that Warren, in the face and eyes of insolent focmen, 
raised his fearless voice against standing armies in general, 
and the killing of unarmed citizens in particular. This is 
the sanctuary, profaned by Godless troopers, which served 
them for a ridiuij-school and circus. Here, during all that 
stormy period preceding the outbreak of rebellion, the pa- 
triots of the colony met for consultation, protest, and appeal. 
It was from its tower that the British squadron was espied in 
time to provide against it; and it was from its pi.lpit that, 
in earlier times, went hence to heaven that prayer which was 
answered by the dispersion and utter ruin of a hostile fleet 
of France. 

The events wnich happpened in and are associated with 
the Old South Church are so numerous and important, and 
are so peculiarly national and patriotic in their nature, that 
the following pages are devoted to them somewhat in detail. 
If the n^ode of treatment shall be found to approach, in even 
a small degree, the intrinsic value of the subject, the fol- 
lowinc: narrative will not fail to interest everv lover of 
Amei'ica's history. 

The question of who are and who are not proper subjects 
of baptism, was preceded by others no less problematical 
and vexatious. These theological quarrels were not local, 
but spread themselves throughout the northern colonies, and 
were felt in affairs of state. It is said that when the New 
England colonies were in their infancy, no government had 
ever yet completely separated church and state ; that there 



had then been no instance of n nation without an cstaMished 
church. The Puritan fathers, fleeing here to gain what they 
had elsewhere sought in vain, — freedom to worship God, — 
were not more advanced in ijrantins: relis^ious freedom to 
others than were those from whom they fled. Ilavhig sub- 
mitted to such unparalleled hardships to gain a foothold, 
even though in the midst of rocks and snow, they naturally 
felt themselves entitled to freedom from molestation in a 
place which Avas all their own. The new land Avas wide 
enough for every sect, they thought, and why should they 
not enjoy tlieir barren corner unmolested. AVith views like 
these, entertained in common with the most riirid thousrh 
sincere religious convictions, they naturally sought to erect 
barriers against the increase of the power of those who had 
little or no sympathy with their most cherished opinions 
and desires. 

Almost from the very foundation of INIassachusetts Colony, 
down to the time of the troubles of which wo are now to 
speak, there had existed a real union of church and state. 
A single statement shows this clearly, — none hut freemen 
were allowed any share in the civil government, and none 
were made freemen but church-members. All except those 
who enjoyed full and regular church membership, therefore, 
were disfranchised and deprived of the citizens' most valued 
rights, while they were obliged to bear the citizens' heaviest 
burdens.' Owing to the popular opinion, that, in those 
days, the number of citizens who were not churchmen was 
exceedingly small and disproportionate to the whole body 
politic, it might be thought that such a law could give rise 
to but little discontent. But just here a mistake is made. 
The number of male adults who, even at that early period, 
were not church-members, was very considerable. A peti- 
tion praying for the removal of religious disabilities, pre- 
sented to the General Courts of INIassachusetts and Plymouth 
in 1G4G, purported to be the prayer of "thousands." And 

' Taxation, military service, etc. 



this was only sixteen years after the foundation of Massa- 
chusetts Colony. 

The existence of so great a number of early colonists who 
were outside the fold of the church, is a fiict forgotten by 
many and, perhaps, unknoAvn to more. It, however, fur- 
nishes abundant explanation of those contentions which agi- 
tated the infant colonies, and led to the final separation of 
church and state in America. It is one of the glories of the 
Old South Church that it originated in this struggle, and 
won its place in the religious world as a champion of equal 
rights and unscctarian citizenship. 

Various regulations were early adopted which bore heavily 
upon those disfranchised for want of the required church- 
standing. By reason of additions from abroad and the grow- 
ing number of young persons who did not associate them- 
selves with the visible church, the number of such pei-sons 
constantly increased. In 1G4(3 the subjects of this unjust 
distinction made a vigorous elfort to obtain relief. Their 
petition cost them the seizure of their papers, and they were 
fined for their " contemptuous and seditious expressions." 

Though signally defeated in this direction, they were not 
without hope. A secret current Avas running in their favor, 
which soon led to open agitation. This was the opinion 
which was gaining ground in the community, that the fact 
of baptism ought, in itself, to constitute a man a church- 
member, in so far as church-mem1)ership was necessary to 
citizenship. So radical a departure from the principles of 
the fathers did not fail to brew a storm throughout the col- 
onics. Finally an official Council met in Boston, in June, 
1657. Contrary to what we naturally should have expected 
from this Council, it decided, substantially, in favor of the 
party of progress, and declared that baptized persons were 
entitled to the civil privileges of churchmen. We are not 
surprised to learn that "the churches pretty generally" 
viewed the decisions of the Council "as a jrreat innovation." 
The work of this body only fanned the flame into greater heat. 



These clissentions continuing, tliey gave rise to a synod of 
all the ministers of the province, who met in 1GG2 for the 
purpose of passing upon two great questions which had been 
propounded by the General Court. One of these questions 
was that with which this chapter opens, — "Who are the sub- 
jects of baptism? the importance of which may now bo better 
understood after what has been submitted on the subject of 
religious differences among the colonists. The Synod, like 
the Council before it, failed to agree, though the conclusion 
of the meml)crs on the subject of baptism was substantially 
that of the latter body. A very respectable and learned 
minority, however, protested against the decision : and thus 
the efforts made to heal over differences seemed only to make 
them greater. Some churches accepted the Synod's decision, 
and some repudiated it. The First (then the only) church 
in Boiton, conformed its 
practices to the recommen- 
dations of the Synod, al- 
though there were not a few 
of the members who were 
dissatisfied therewith. All 
trouble was avoided, how- 
ever, by the Christian inHu- fikst church in boston, um- 
ence of the Rev. John Wilson, a venerable man, at that time 
pastor of the Boston church. 

Upon the death of Mr. Wilson the pulpit was made va- 
cant for the first timo. Meanwhile the numbers of the 
antisynodists had increased in the society. They became 
sufficiently numerous to dictate the choice of a new minister, 
and united in calling to their pulpit Eev. John Davenport, 
whom Cotton ^Mather called " the greatest of the antisynod- 
ists." The liberals, as we may perhaps term the minority, 
declared that the calling of so eminent an opponent of the 
decisions of the Synod would be a virtual declaration against 
the conclusions of that body, and in direct contradiction to 

1 "Its roof was thatched, and its walls were of mud." 




8 

the proceedings of tlie cliarch. But all objections were 
overriilccl, and Mv. Davenport was installed pastor. 

The dissatisfied members of the church were not simply 
stirred upon the surface. They had opposed the settling of 
Mr. Davenport from principle, and could not conscientiously 
acquiesce. Twenty-nine, including some of the most re- 
spectable of the colonists, seceded from the First Church, 
and took steps towards a separate organization. This was 
the beginning of the Old South Church, which, as is thus 
seen, originated in opposition to sectarian partisanship and 
theoloirical narrowness. Its fjunclation was one of the ear- 
liest protests against illiberal government, and one of the 
first steps towards complete separation of church and state. 
Of such a beginning, as well as of its suliscquent history, 
the members of the Old South Society, and with them every 
enlightened citizen, may be justly proud. Its beginning was 
in wisdom, and its career has been worthy of its origin. 

But the troubles of the scceders were not at an end as 
soon as they withdrew from tlie parent church. In accor- 
dance with the strict theological discipline of that day, they 
felt tliat it was necessary to obtain regular dismission from 
the First Society. With what measure of success their ap- 
plication met, is sufficiently indicated by the following ex- 
tract from the records of the First Church : — 

" At a meeting called on ye 29 of the 1 mo. 1GG9, about j'e dissenting 
brethren : judgt. Avhether the church see liglit from ye word of God to 
dismiss ye dissenting brethren 3't. desire it; it was answered in the 
negative, unanamously." 

But such a failure as this could not deter them : they 
called a council of neighboring churches (an ordinary mode 
of redress among the early churches) ; and l)y this council, 
it seems, they were upheld and encouraged. At two meet- 
ings, held on May 12th and IGth (22d and 2r)th N. S.) 1G69, 
they entered upon and completed the formation of a new 
church, under the name of The Third Church ix Boston. 
Though we have had no occasion to allude to it heretofore, 



9 

there had been formed a second church in Boston, 1650. 
The covenant entered into hy the members of the Third 
Church is recorded on the first page of their records, and 
begins as follows : — 

"The Covenant mado by ye Third Church in Boston, Gathered at 
Charlestown on ye 12 day of 3d month, 1669. 

" We whose names are miderwritten, being called of God to joine 
together in a chni-ch, in heart-sense of our unworthiness thereof, disa- 
bility thereunto, and aptness to forsake ye Lord, cast off his governmt, 
and neglect our duety one to another; DO, ui the name of J. C. our 
Lord, trusting only in his grace and help, sollemnly bind ourselves to- 
gether, as in the presence of God, constantly to walk together as a 
church of Christ, according to all those holy rules of God's word given 
to a church body rightly established, so far as we already know them, 
or they shall be hereafter farther made known unto us." 

The Third Church has always preserved its original at- 
tachment to the teachings of Calvin. 

Though the two churches had been properly separated, 
their dissentions by no means ceased. Edward Randolph^ 
writing to the liishop of London, said that the feeling be- 
tween them ran "so high that there was imprisoning of 
parties and great disturbances." These dissentions furnished 
dividing lines between the parties in the state, as Avell as 
in the church, " The whole people of God throughout the 
colony," says Cotton Mather, " were too much distinguished 
into such as favored the old church, and such as favored 
the new church."' Members of the General Court were 
elected upon the issues raised by these churches. The elec- 
tion of 1G90 resulted in the choice of a majority opposed to 
the course of the First Church. 

Thus the new church and the party which it represented 
achieved a public and final triumph; "a triumph," as has 
been truly said, "to be rejoiced in, as confirming the rights 
of freemen to many who had been unjustly deprived of them, 
and laying the foundation of all the good to be effected, in 
the hands of Providence, by this church." ^ Before the Third 

' Magnalia, book 5. * Wisner, Sermon 1. 



10 

Church finally triumphed as just stated, thus winnmg a place 
ill the religious world, steps had been taken looking towards 
the erection of a suitable meeting-house. But in this, as in 
almost everything else, they encountered determined opposi- 
tion. The history of the first meeting-house of the Third 
Church will claim our attention in the following chapter. 



II. 

HISTORY OF THE OLD CEDAR MEETING-HOUSE. 

80 determined was the opposition of those opposed to the 
innovations of the Third Church, that the members of that 
society found great difficulty in peaceably erecting a meet- 
ing-house. Governor Bellingham, a member of the First 
Church, set himself and his authority against them, but was 
not upheld by a council which he called together to consider 
the danger of " a tumult ; some persons attempting to set up 
an edifice .for public worship, which was apprehended by 
authority to be detrimental to the public peace." The mem- 
bers of the new church, desiring to do all things decently 
and by sanction of law, applied to the selectmen of Boston, 
and obtained from them permission to erect a meeting-house. 
This they proceeded to do, building upon the site of the 
present edifice a church of cedar, two stories in height, 
adorned with a steeple, and containing the conventional 
high-backed, square pews and lofty pulpit of the day. This 
church stood nearly opposite what is now School street, upon 
a lot then known as "The Green." A beautiful row of but- 
ton wood trees skirted the western boundary. These trees 
sufiered the common fate of combustible material in the win- 
ter of 1775-6, and went to replenish the hearths of the 
Province House or the camp-fires of the British soldiery. 
The site of the cedar church was at that time considered to 
be in the southerly portion of tlie town, and for that reason 
early received the name of the South Meeting-House. The 
title of the Old South did not attach until long after the 
erection of the present edifice : in 1817 a church Avas located 
in Summer street, and took the name of the New South 
Church. To make the distinction between the two plainer, 
the older church received, and has ever since retained, the 
name of the Old South Church. 



12 

The new church, freed from former alliances, and worship- 
ing in a house of its own, began to prosper, and, according 
to historians of that day, soon "proved one of the most 
flourishing in the whole country." It was blessed with the 
most eminent and pious men for pastors, the first of whom 
was Kev. Thomas Thatcher. Mr. Thatcher was installed in 
the early part of 1670, and continued his ministration.^ till a 
few months before his death, which occurred in 1678. The 
success of his ministry may be inferred from the fact, that, 
during its short continuance, the number of communicants 
was increased to two hundred and seventeen. 

Mr. Thatcher was succeeded by his former colleague, Rev. 
Samuel Willard, who, next to Cotton Mather, it is said, was 
the most copious author the ministry had then produced. 
After a distinguished service of many years, he died in 
1707, aged 67. Mr. "Willard is especially worthy of re- 
membrance by reason of the part he took, in 1692, in those 
strange proceedings concerning witchcraft. Though it re- 
quired no little courage to dissent from the popular fanati- 
cism of the day, he boldly condemned the harsh policy 
pursued, and exerted himself to arrest and mitigate the 
persecutions. 

It is surprising to learn that the wives and daughters of 
the founders of the Old South Church were not admitted to 
membership till October 16, 1674 — more than five 3'ears 
after the formation of the society. The women, like the 
men, applied to the First Church for dismission, and, like 
them, were refused. Various methods were tried to gain 
the end desired without violating the rules of that theologi- 
cal discipline which was then so potent. But, for some rea- 
son, all efforts failed,, until rasort was had to a council, in 
1674. This coimcil decided that the course of the First 
Church towards the dissenting sisters "is not {de jure) ])ind- 
ing in foro Dei aut conscienda', and is therefore no reall 
regular ))ar either unto those members from joining with 
another church, neither unto another church from receiving 



13 

them into their fellowship, there having been all due means 
nsed for their reconciliation to and dismission' from the sd. 
church unto that which they tind more to their edification 
and consolation in ye Lord." The council's final judgment 
was : — 

" That such members may joine, and such a church unto whom they 
desire to joyn may receive them into their fellowship, without the trans- 
gression of any rule of church order or any just ofience given unto ye 
church unto wch they did belong, provided they be in a capacity, by a 
convenient vicinity and other necessary circumstances, to walk with 
that church constantly in ye course of church fellowp. and come ac- 
cording to their church covenant." 

In pursuance of the authority conferred by this council, 
the women were admitted to membership in the new church, 
the society thus receiving an addition of twenty-three mem- 
bers. These new members may be properly considered 
as among the founders of the church. 

Religious difierences ceased, in a measure, only to be suc- 
ceeded by political troubles, which came upon the colony 
soon after the building of the Cedar Meeting-House. The 
established church of England at first found New England 
soil by no means adapted to the planting of a healthy Ijranch 
therein. Episcopacy was sternly resisted by those sterner 
Christians, who, fleeing from ;ind then establishing religious 
intolerance, furnished one of the most striking though pious 
illustrations of the art of preaching one thing and practicing 
another which the world has ever seen. Repeated confer- 
ences and liberal inducements had alike failed to secure for 
the English Church a local habitation and a home in Boston. 
As late as 1G86 the town authorities refused to this sect the 
use of any of the meeting-houses, and the society was unable 
to buy land where it seemed to them desirable. It was not 
till the coming of Sir Edmund Andros, in 1G86, that a foot- 
hold was secured. Edward Randolph, a governor " whose 
business it was," the people said, "to go up and down seek- 
ing to devour them," proposed in 1682 to introduce into the 
colony ministers of the Established Church, who should be 



14 

supported, in part, by public funds, and who should enjoy the 
exclusive right of solemnizing legal marriages. It will be 
readily believed that such a j^roposition struck alarm to the 
hearts of clergy and laymen alike, and that their first thought 
was of union and resistance. These troubles continued 
until the arrival of Sir Edmund Andros in the latter days of 
1686. Sir Edmund, an arbitrary knight and strong Epis- 
copalian, being armed with the power of Governor, deter- 
mined to plant the English Church in Boston, in one way if 
not in another. All negotiations looking towards that object 
having failed, in March, 1687, the Governor sent Edward 
Randolph, chiefly distinguished by the hatred of the people, 
to demand the keys of the South j\Ieeting-House. This de- 
mand was refused, the reason given being an excellent and, 
to a modern mind, an all-sufficient one ; namely, "ye land 
and house is ours." ' At a meeting of those interested, 
" 'twas agreed yt could not with good a conscience consent yt 
our Meetinghouses should be used for ye Commonprayer 
worship." These obstacles, however, were not such as to 
deter Governor Andros. On Friday, March 25th, 1687, he 
sent peremptory orders that the South Church should be 
opened for the services of Good Friday. From the journal 
of Judge Sewall — for many years a member of the Third 
Church and father of the venerated Rev. Dr. Sewell — we 
learn that the sexton, "Godra. Needham, tho' had resolved 
to the contrary, was prevailed upon to ring ye bell and open 
ye door, at the Governor's command ; one Smith and Hill, 
joiner and shoemaker, being very busy about it." 

It would seem that this occupancy of their meeting-house 
must have been regarded as scarcely less than desecration by 
the members of the South Church ; but they Avere forced to 
submit to it for many weeks. The precise period during 
which the Episcopalians worshiped there is not certainly 
known. Doubtless, though, it did not extend much beyond 
two years; because in the summer of 1689 the first Episco- 

' Judge Scwall's Diary. 



15 

pal house of "worship in Boston was finished, and Sir Ed- 
mund Andros Avas driven from office and imprisoned by the 
rebellious citizens. The Governor and his people worshiped 
at such hours as pleased their fancy, the times of meeting 
being not infrequently changed, to the great annoyance cf 
the owners of the church. Under date of INIarch 29, 1687, 
we read in Judge Sewall's diary : — 

"Last sabbath clay, March 27, Govr. and his retinue met in our 
Moetingh. at eleven ; broke off past two, bee. of ye sacrament and Mr. 
Clark's long sermon, though we were appointed to come half past one ; 
so 'twas a sad sight to see how full ye street was with jjeople gazing 
and moving to and fro, bee. had not entrance into ye house." 

Again we have an answer to the assertion. There is no 
profit in them, — when spoken of theological dissensions. 
The troul)les to which Ave have just referred Avere, it is true, 
soraeAvhat political in their character ; but the politics, such 
as they Avere, Avere founded upon religious differences. They 
served at least one good purpose, — they brought al)0ut the 
reconciliation of the First and Third Churches. For thirteen 
years they had been estranged. The South Church had 
manifested a commendable desire for pacification, but every 
overture in that direction had been sternly repulsed by those 
to Avhom it Avas directed. So bitter Avas the feeling, that 
when the ncAv church installed its first pastor, the old church 
refused to participate in the exercises. In 1670 the mem- 
bers of the South Society addressed a formal proposal of 
accommodation to the brethren of the First Church Avhich is 
worthy of perusal. It is found on page 4 of the first vol- 
ume of the church records aud runs, in part, as follows : — 

"We tlie eldei's and brethren of the Third Church of Boston, being 
sensible of the dishoner of the holy name of God and greif on the 
hearts of God's people occasioned by the late divisions, and desiring 

that the God of love and peace majr dwell among us 

do hereby testify or resolution Avhat in us lys to Avalk on in brotherly 
love and communion with ye said First Church of Boston, as becometh 
ye churches of Christ so nearly related." 

This generous tender of good will was repulsed by the 



16 

members of the First Churdi, who seemed incapal)le of for- 
ofiveness, until a common danger hushed every minor con- 
sideration. When Eandolph hcgan his course of enmity 
towards all and justice towards none, the First Church, in 
its turn, desired "to forgive ar.d forget all past olFences." 
The Third Church gladly accepted their proposals, and a 
reconciliation was eflected. The correspondence which 
passed between the two societies was worthy of those men 
and t\'onien who, in one of their letters, declared their daily 
prayer to be : " What we know not teach thou us, and if we 
have done amiss, we will do so no more." Mather records, 
in his Magnalia, book 5, page 83: "Unto the general joy 
of Christians in the neighborhood, both the churches kept 
a solemn day together ; wherein, lamenting the intirmities 
that had attended their former contentions, they gave thanks 
to the great Peace-Maker for effecting this joyful recon- 
liation." 

That this reconciliation was genuine, is shown by an oc- 
currence which took place in the year 1711, while Mr. Pem- 
berton, the third minister and a very distinguished divine, 
was pastor of the South Church. The First Church having 
been consumed by a great fire which swept over a large part 
of the town, the South Society promptly extended a cordial 
invitation to its members to join them in public worship, 
the minister of the First Church to conduct the services one 
half of the time and to be allowed the same compensation 
as that received by Mr. Pemberton. This generous ofier 
and a similar one from the Brattle Street Society were ac- 
cepted, the arrangement continuing till the houseless breth- 
ren were enabled to rebuild. 

The history of the Cedar Meeting-House would ))e incom- 
plete without some reference to Judge Samuel Sewall, from 
Avhose diar}' we have given several extracts. Chief Justice 
Sewall was the most distinguished person, not serving in a 
ministerial capuinty, connected M'ith the early history of the 
Third Church. For many years a Judge of the Superior 



17 

Court, he was appointed Chief Justice in tlie year 1718. 
He also hekl the office of Judge of Probate for Sufiblk 
County, hut retired from hoth positions in 1728. He was 
one of the most consistent members of the South Church, 
and continued to adorn its membership till his death, in 
1730 — the same year in which the brick church was finished. 
To the project of a new church, by the way, he was most 
resolutely opposed. Although his protest Avas overruled, 
he did not live to worship in any other than the old church 
he loved so well. He died January 1st, 1730. 

Judge Sewall was accustomed to keep a journal of the 
events of his day, and left several manuscript volumes of 
the kind, which have since proved of great value to antiqua- 
rians and historians. In connection with the family of the 
Judge, it is an interesting fact, that during eighty-four of 
the one hundred and twenty-two years from 1G92 to 1814, 
it was represented on the bench of the Supreme Judicial 
Court of Massachusetts.' 

A son of Judge Sewall — "good Dr. Joseph Sewall" — 
was installed pastor of the South Church in the year 1713, 
and continued in that capacity for fifty-six years. His death 
occurred in 1769, when he had nearly attained the age of 
eighty-one. He was one of the most Godly and venerable 
of men, distinguished alike for his piety and zeal. Having 
arrived at a ripe old age, he was considered the patriarch of 
the people and the father of the clergy. 

In 1717 Rev. Thomas Prince was associated with Dr. 
Sewall. For forty years these worthy men walked together 
in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace. Not a 
solitary instance of public difference or private enmity can 
be pointed out in their extended ministry. Disagreements 
they doubtless had, but so thoroughly imbued were they with 
the spirit of the Master that they never allowed their views 
to clash in public. The secret of th<:-ir strong personal at- 
tachment and unity of purpose is found in the characters of 
the men, strengthened by their daily habit of reliance on God. 

2 1 Wisiier, note 30. 



18 



It was during the imitecl ministry of Sewall and Prince 
that the subject of a new meeting-house was broached. The 
wooden structure had stood for more than a half-century, 
and had become inadequate to the requirements of an in- 
creased congregation. AUhough the time had long since 
"•one by when, as in the case of the erection of the Cedar 

Meeting-House, any opposi- 
tion from without could be pos- 
^ sible, a sufficiently vigorous 
ij opposition from within was de- 
veloped when a new building 
was suggested. This opposi- 
^p tion, though sturdy, was un- 
successful ; and the work of 
demolishing the Cedar Church 
was begun on March 3d, 1729, 
and conqDleted on the follow- 
ing day. What would now, 
in these more busy days, be 
considered a curious proceed- 
ing, is worthy of mention in this connection, — before the 
work of demolition begun. Dr. Sewall prayed ivith the 
workmen. 

It was found that some of the timbers of the old building 
were so much decayed that the preservation of the large 
consrreijation which had assembled in the church on the last 
Sabbath before its destruction, was considered '' very gra- 
cious." Dr. Sewall accepted this evidence of past danger 
as an augury of future union, and made the following entry 
in his journal: "I thank thee, O thou Preserver of men. 
Reconcile thy servants who have been opposite to this work, 
and let there l)e good agreement amongst thy people in the 
things that are pleasing in thy sight." 

After the destruction of the Cedar Meeting-House the 

iThis building stood opposite the south side of the church until 1811, when it was 
destroyed by Are. It was 120 years old. Fraiiklin was baptized in the old Cedar 
Meeting- House. 




BIRTHPLACE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 
1691-1811. » 



19 



erection of the present Old South Church was siieeclily un- 
dertaken and completed. The early history of this, the most 
historic of all American churches, must be reserved for 
another chapter. 



III. 

THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH : ITS ERECTION AND EARLY 

HISTORY. 

Upon that part of Washington street formerly known as 
Marlborough street one of the most prominent objects which 
m(5ets the o1)server's eye is the clock on the steeple of the 
Old South Church. Probably no timepiece in New England 
serves the daily convenience of so many people. The meet- 
ing-house having follen under the auctioneer's hammer on the 
8tli of June, 1870, the land upon which it had stood for 
nearly a century and a half was no longer a lawful resting- 
place for the venerable pile. The work of demolition im- 
mediately commenced. The clock had already been removed 
when the hands of the workmen were arrested by the efforts 
of patriotic citizens, who, in spite of the mad haste of the 
times, had not lost all veneration for the past and thought 
for the future.' On the front face of the brick tower which 
supports the steeple, there is imbedded a stone slab which 
bears the following inscriptions : — 

OLD SOUTH. 

CHURCH GATHERED, 1669. 

FIRST HOUSE BUILT, 1670. 

THIS HOUSE ERECTED, 1729. 

DESECRATED BY BRITISH TROORS, 1775-6. 

From this l)rief statement may l)e gathered an outline history 
of the most interesting church in America. These lines, 
however, arc merely the meagre skeleton of a narrative 
whose incidents are full of interest and well worthy of pe- 
rusal. Having already detailed the origin and foundation of 
the Old South Society, and devoted a chapter to the history 
of their first meeting-house, we now proceed to an euumera- 

' The clock has since been replaced. 



21 



tion of those events associated with the second and present 
church edilicc during the first forty years of its existence. 
As has been already stated, the project of a new mcetinjj:- 
house met with considerable opposition, the venerable Judo'e 
Sewall feeling called upon to enter his written protest. 




THE OLD SOUTH. 



After a favorable vote had once been passed, an attempt to 
have it reconsidered was made, but failed. At a meeting in 
June, 1728, the matter was .-substantially set at rest by the 



22 

election of a building committee, who were directed to build 
of brick, and were authorized to purchase the necessary 
material. That the work of demolition and rebuilding was 
considered a very grave matter in the history of the church, 
is shown by the mention in Dr. Sewall's diary of a fast day, 
kept for the purpose of asking the divine blessing upon "ye 
difficult and momentous affiiir in which jy are engaged.'" 

Just above the pavement f)n the Milk street side of the 
church and near the south-west corner is a block bearing 
the characters, " N. E. Mar. 31, 1729." From the flict that 
the laying of corner-stones was not then in vogue, and that 
this block is so near the foundation. Dr. AYisner concludes 
that the date upon it is that of the commencing of the work. 
But all doubts as to the meaning of this inscription are set 
at rest l)y an item on the new church which appeared in the 
JVeiv England Weekly Journal, of the 28th April, 1729. In 
this sheet we read that "the stone foundation was begun to 
be laid Mar. 31,7 foot below the pavement of the street." 
From the same source we learn that the old Cedar Meeting- 
House was "near 75 feet long, and near 51 feet wide ; besides 
the southern, eastern and western porches ; the length' of 
this (the brick church) is near 95 feet, breadth near 68, 
besides the western toAver, and eastern and southern porches." 
Another stone on the Washington street side bears the let- 
ters " S S," while in the rear of the building a third is inscribed 
"L B 1729." The building was completed in April, 1730. 
Meanwhile services had been held in the First Church, — 
another evidence of the permanency of the reconciliation of 
these ancient antao^onists. 

From a plan of " Pues on ye Lower flore in ye meeting 
house," we gather an idea of how the pews were arranged. 
Under the pulpit, and elevated high above the people, was 
the elders' pew; below that, but still above the common 
level, were the deacons' seats. A double tier of galleries 
ranged around three sides of the room, while in the body of 

• See Drake's Hist, and Antiquities of Boston, p. 584. 



23 

the house there were many square, several obloug, and about 
a dozen long pews, all furnished with the high, straight backs 
of the period. The names of the pew-holders included thote 
of many of the most illustrious and considerable of the colo- 
nists. The pulpit, appropriately termed a "tub" pulpit, 
was overshadowed by a great sounding-board, which added 
not a little to the otherwise quaint appearance of the interior. 
Several long pews upon the main aisle and directly in front 
of the pulpit Avere reserved for aged people. 

In 1782, after its occupancy by the British, the church 
was extensively repaired by its proprietors, who, after a 
five years' possession of King's Chapel, were about to remove 
to their old quarters. The interior of the building has been 
from time to time considerably altered, until now, having 
been occui^ied as a United States post-office after the great 
fire of 1872, it presents a somewhat barren and desolate ap- 
pearance. The pulpit has disappeared, and the pews have 
all been removed. The immovable portions of the church, 
however, are substantially unchanged ; so that the Ijuilding, 
as a whole, preserves its venerable and suggestive appearance. 

The exterior of the Old South Church is neither quaint 
nor imposing. Now that the post-office additions have been 
removed, it is the same as that familiar to the fathers. Its 
walls are of brick, laid in the style known as the Flemish 
Bond, which alternates the sides and ends of the bricks in 
every course. This bond was peculiar to the period in which 
this church was built, and was adopted in the erection of the 
West, Brattle Street, Park Street, and other Boston churches. 
The steeple is one hundred and eighty feet in height. The 
clock is one of the best make, and for many years has been 
of the greatest convenience to the Boston public. In the 
tower the Prince Library was deposited. In early times 
several trees adorned the green in front of the church and the 
Governor's house, which was then adjacent; now a solitary 
horse-chestnut in the rear of the building ekes out a starved 
and miserable existence. A lone relic of thrifty sires, it 



24 

appears ready to yield to the march of modern progress, 
which has all'eady robbed it of nearly every companion of 
its early days. Even a solitary tree, in its locality, must be 
an eyesore to our modern Vandals, "whose thoughts are wholly 
bent on " progress " and " improvement." 

The first event in connection with the present Old South 
Church, which claims our attention, is the death of Chief 
Justice Sewall. He died January 1st, 1730, several months 
before the completioii of the new brick church. Of the career 
of this eminent and worthy man we have already spoken.' 

The first sermon in the new church was preached by Dr. 
Sewall, whose text proved to be a veritable prophecy : " The 
glory of this latter house shall exceed the glory of the former, 
saith the Lord of Hosts ; and in this place will I give peace, 
saith the Lord of Hosts." The glory of the house has been 
great indeed, and has come to it in more ways than one ; 
peace also has come to it, but only through the severest 
t/ials. It is a peace, however, which insures to those who 
enjoy it lil>erty, prosperity, and public virtue. 

The first glory which came upon the new sanctuary was 
the addition to its membership, within a period of two years, 
of more than a hundred converts. This was brought about 
chiefly through the instrumentality of that most celelirated 
of the early revivalists, Rev. George Whitefield. AYliitefield 
arrived in Boston in September, 1740, and remained only 
about a month. During this short period, however, he had 
ample time to arouse the intensest interest in religious topics. 
He preached almost constantly, rarely failing to deliver two 
sermons a day. On the third day after his arrival, he 
preached in the Old South Church. In the afternoon of the 
same day, the people having again assembled at this place, 
the meeting was adjourned to the Common, because the mul- 
titude outside the church doors was greater than the crowd 
within. On the following Sunday, having gone to a church 
for the purpose of delivering a sermon, he was compelled, by 

iPage 16. 



25 

reason of the dissatisfaction of the multitude who were nec- 
essarily excluded from the building, to lead them to the 
Common. Here he is said to have preached to eight or ten 
thousand people. In Drake's " History and Antiquities of 
Boston" we read, that Whitefield continued to preach in 
Boston and vicinity with increased reputation, until the sec- 
ond week of October, when he delivered his farewell sermon 
on the common "to a vast assembly, supposed to be 20,000 
or more." Though jNIr. Whitefield remained in Boston only 
a month, the excitement which he had produced was not 
allayed for nearly two years. As in all such cases, there 
were and are conflicting opinions as to the real good accom- 
plished by the means employed. Several years after AVhite- 
field's departure, Mr. Prince and other clergymen testified 
that the revival had been a real and permanent awakening. 
Mr. Prince allowed but one exception among the numerous 
converts in his church, who failed to shape his "conversation, 
as far as he knew, as becomes the Gospel." Drake records, 
that "on his return to this countr}^, in 1744, his reception, 
though warm in many places, was dificrent from that he had 
received on his first coming."' The results of his ministry 
as it affected the Old South Church seems, as already indi- 
cated, to have been of lasting benefit. 

President Dwio;ht of Yale College cites an incident in the 
Early history of the Old South Church as in itself abundant 
evidence of the etficacy of prayer. Whether we regard it in 
that light or not, it is of general interest. The circum- 
stances were these : — 

War having been declared between France and England, 
and the latter power having wrested Louisbourg from the 
hands of the former, the French determined upon a desperate 
effort to retrieve their laurels. In accordance with this pur- 
pose, a naval force, consisting of forty ships of war, under the 
command of the indomitable D'Anville, was, in the year 
1746, dispatched against the American colonies. The avowed 

1 See Drake's His. & Antiq., p. 60S-9. 



2G 

purpose of this formidable armada was nothing less than the 
destruction of New England, — a task, indeed, which did not 
appear chimerical, in view of the strength of the expedition 
and the skill and intrepidity of its commander. So great 
was the apprehension of the Bostonians, that a day was set 
apart for fiisting and for prayer for deliverance from a calam- 
ity which was daily apprehended. At the appointed time 
the congregations assembled in their several places of wor- 
ship, realizing in an unusual degree their dependence upon 
a hi2:her Power. 

The morning is described as having been one of perfect 
peace and calm. No breeze ruffled the Avaters of the Bay, 
and no cloud gave warning of approaching storm. Mr. 
Prince conducted the services in the Old South Church, 
throwing into them even more than his accustomed fervor. 
While he was engaged in most solemn and heartfelt appeal 
to God for deliverance from the threatened danger, a sudden 
gust of wind struck the church with such violence as to cause 
the windows to rattle in their casings. The man of God 
paused for a moment, and quickly glanced around the assem- 
bly. Those before him did not fail to catch the beam of 
hope and expectancy which lit his countenance. He paused, 
but for a moment, and then resumed his supplications ; 
beseeching the great Ruler of the elements to cause that 
wind to confound the purposes of the enemy. 

Whether or not we share the deductions of President 
Dwight, the fiict remains, that that Avind, having risen to a 
tempest, did destroy the French fleet, ofl* the coast of Nova 
Scotia; and, by that disaster, saved Ncav England from 
threatened desolation. i 

In 1758 a great sorrow fell upon the Old South Church ; 
in October of that year IieA^ Thomas Prince was called aAvay 
from his earthly labors. His death deprived the church of 
one of the most illustrious teachers, and sundered that beau- 
tifid union Avhich had existed betAVcen Messrs. Prince and 
Sewall for forty years. Mr. Prince was considered "a beue- 

1 See pos«, p. 105. 



27 

factor to his country." ' It is said of him by one of Boston's 
historians, that he left "a name which will be venerated to 
the remotest ages, if literature shall then be valued ; a name 
which may with pride be emulated by inquirers after histor- 
ical knowledge, and the admirers of precision and accuracy 
in paths of history."' The town of Princeton was named 
for him. 

Dr. Sewall was permitted to continue his labors for eleven 
years after the decease of Mr. Prince. Having arrived at 
the age of eighty, his health rapidly declined, but his devo- 
tion to his work continued unabated to the end. Dr. Wisner 
oives the foUowinir account of " good Dr. Sewall's " last 
days : — 

."He had for sometime, on account of his infirmaties, been carried 
into the pulpit from Sabbath to Sabbath ; where, like the beloved disci- 
ple of old in his latter daj-s, he sat, and with paternal and apostolic 
affection and fidelity, instructed and exhorted his children in the faith. 
The evening he had ai-rived at fourscore, he preached to his people an 
approjiriate sermon." 

AVhen he drew very near his end his tearful attendants 
heard him repeatedly say, with great pathos, "Come, Lord 
Jesus, come quickly." How worthy such an end to so glo- 
rious a career ! How beautiful such a sunset to a life whose 
light had shone so clear and pure ! A tower of strength 
throughout his ministry, he came to be the father of his 
people in his later years. His death closed the first one 
hundred years of the history of the Third or South Society, 
of which, for more than half thai century, he had been the 
example, monitor, and guide. 

One of the most interesting members of Dr. Sewall's p Ir- 
ish was a colored woman named Phillis Wheatley. She 
claims our attention as a remarkable example of high talent 
in a lowly station, and as a reminder of the past existence 
of slavery in New England. She was a pure African, and 
was brought to America in 1761, where she was held as a 
slave. Though uttsrly destitute of school-training, and, in a 

» Drake's Hist, & Antiq. 



28 



irreat measure, self-taught, she is said to have written excel- 
lei)t verses. A poem addressed to Washington brought a 
written acknowledgement from him, which, with the verses, 
is found in Spark's Life of Washington. The genuineness 

of her productions was at- 
tested by many ministers 
of Boston, as well as by 
such men as Governors 
Hutchinson, Hancock, and 
Bowdoin. AVhile in Lon- 
don, in 1773, she received 
much attention from the 
nobility. 

Phillis Wheatley's case 
draws out attention to the 
existence of an institution 
which, at this remove, 
seems scarcely possible to 
Boston. In 1753, in a to- 
tal population of 15,734, 
there were in Boston 1544 
Negroes. The following 
advertisement, which, with 
others of like tenor, were 
to be found in the Boston 
newspapers of the eigh- 
teenth centur}^ gives us a 
realizing sense of the real- 
ity of the existence of Ix^nd- 

THE BOSTON POST BUILDING. I agC lu Nc W Euglaud I 

" To be sold by the j^rinter of this paper, the vex'y best Negro Woman 
in this town, who has had the small-pox and the measles ; is as heart}' 
as a Horse, as brisk as a Bird, and will work like a- Beaver. Aug. 
23d, 1742." 

This appears in the Bofiton Evening Post, a paper which 

' This building stands on the site of Franklin's birth-place, opposite the Old South 
(See p. IS.) The Post was established in 1831. 




29 

to-day has so illustrious a successor of nearly the same name. 
The Post was started in 1735, and was the successor of the 
Weekly Rehearsal, begun in 1731. 

Let it be added, however, to the honor of the Boston 
public, that the town's representatives in the General Court 
were instructed, in the year 1767, to move for and advocate 
total abolition of slavery in the Province. When the ques- 
tion again arose in town-meeting, the people adhered to their 
former vote. Bostonians, therefore, w^ere in advance of the 
general sentiment of the country, which anticipated the grad- 
ual l)ut certain decline of the institution. The followins: 
testimony as to the condition of slaves in Massachusetts at 
that time is of a gratifying character. Lieutenant-Governor 
Hutchinson wrote to Lord Hillsborough, in May, 1771 : 
" A slave here is considered as a servant would be who had 
bound himself for a term of years exceeding the ordinary 
term of human life ; and I do not know that it has been 
determined he may not have a property in goods, notwith- 
standing he is called a slave." 



IV. 

DAWN OF THE REVOLUTION. 

We now approach the contemplation of those events asso- 
ciated witli the Old South Church, which preceded and 
precipitated the disruption between Britain and America. 
In this building occurred some of the boldest, wisest and 
most fruitful scenes which helped to insure the liberties of 
a great people. And, we apprehend, it is in the narration 
of these occurrences that the large body of readers will find 
the greatest interest. The history of the Old South during 
this short period is so prolific in events associated with the 
uprising of the colonies, that it is substantially the history 
of the patriot cause in Boston prior to the beginning of actual 
hostilities. For this reason it will be found necessary to 
consider the course of events somewhat generally, as a fail- 
ure to mention some occurrences which led to and were the 
sequences of those which transpired within the church walls, 
would render the narrative disjointed and incomplete. The 
attempt will be made to make the recital at once true to 
history and full of interest. The revolutionary incidents 
associated with the Old South Church were, in themselves, 
of a peculiarly interesting nature, and nothing can be lost 
by a strict adherance to historical precision. They are and 
ever will be remarkable for their boldness and novelty, as 
well as for the results they accomplished. 

Though the old church walls are sacred to the memory of 
the fathers, and were consecrated by the immediate descend- 
ants of the Pilgrims, they "received as real a consecration 
when Adams and Otis dedicated them to liberty." We can- 
not better continue, at this point, than by using the words 
of Wendell Phillips, spoken in this house : — ' 

"We do not come here because there went hence to heaven the pray- 
ers of Cotton and Prince and the early saints of the colony. We come 

1 June 14, 1876. 



31 

to save walls that heard and stirred the eloquence of Quincy, — that 
keen blade which so soon wore out the scabbard, — determined ' under 
God, that whosoever, whensoever, or howsoever, we shall be called to 
make our exit, iix will die freemen.^ These arches will speak to us, as 
long as they stand, of the sublime and sturdy religious enthusiasm of 
Adams, of Otis' passionate eloquence and single-hearted devotion, of 
Warren in his young genius and enthusiasm ;. of a plain, unaffected but 
high-souled people who ventured all for a principle, and to transmit to 
us, unimpaired, the free lij)S and self-government which they inherited. 
Above and around us unseen hands have written, 'This is the cradle 
of civil liberty, child of earnest religious faith.' I will not say it is a 
nobler consecration, I Avill not say it is a better use ; I only say we 
come here to save what our fathers consecrated to the memories of the 



The troubles which beset the colonies did not come upon 
them suddenly. The thunderbolt of war did not burst from 
a clear sky, but was preceded by long-continued and ominous 
mutterings of popular discontent. After the conquest of 
Canada and the accession of George III, the home govern- 
ment, burdened with liabilities consequent upon the waging 
of war, determined to raise a revenue in America, This 
selection of a portion of the kingdom, which had already 
contributed liberally of its blood and treasure, to bear the 
burdens of the other, gave rise to various difficulties. The 
colonists complained that their rulers concerted the plan of 
subverting their forms of government, restraining their trade, 
discouraging their manufactures, and raising a revenue within 
their territories by authority of parliament but without their 
consent. First came the Writs of Assistance, which roused 
the flaming eloquence of Otis. Then followed the Stamp 
Act, which was so violently assailed by the people that it 
lived but a twelvemonth. Many other minor innovations 
were imposed upon the colonists, who grew more and more 
restive as their burdens increased. 

A method of opposition to these encroachments upon the 
liberties of the people, peculiar to America, and, when 
adopted, novel to political economists, grew up in Massa- 
chusetts. Reference is had to the custom of assembling: the 



32 

people iu Town Meetings, which did not hesitate to pass 
upon matters of the gravest moment and in the most trying 
crises. These assemblies proved themselves to be among 
the happiest, perhaps the most invaluable, expedients adopted 
by the patriots. Tories branded them "hot-beds of sedition," 
from which sprung all sorts of infelicities for England. Gov- 
ernor Hutchinson recognized their power, and wrote of them 
to Hillsborough : — 

" We find, my lord, by experience, that associations and assemblies, 
pretending to be legal and constitutional, assuming powers which 
belong only to established authority, jjrove more fatal to this authority 
than mobs, riots, or the most tumultuous disorders." 

Hutchinson and Barnard, always apprehensive of town- 
meetings, lost no opportunity to impeach their legality and cast 
reproach upon them. Otis well said, iu his "Vindication of 
the Town of Boston:"' "Such an assembly has ever been 
the dread and often the scourge of tj^rants." 

Patriots as well as Tories were alive to the importance of 
town-meetings. They defended their legality, and esteemed 
them among their dearest rights. Such assemblies were in- 
valuable to the advancement of that spirit of union, upon 
which the leaders knew their hopes depended " They served 
to enlighten all classes, and became the firmest cement to 
bind them together, when a comprehensive and combined 
effort was demanded."" They were the "arenas wherein the 
people were trained and armed intellectually for the great 
battle of independence." In them, it Avas justly claimed, 
men "thought as they pleased, and spoke as they thought."^ 
Spectators have recorded with surprise the high character of 
these meetings, finding calm and dignified proceedings where 
they had expected disorder and confusion ; hearing clear and 
forcible oratory where they had anticipated violent and un- 
reasoning incendiarism. A friend of the colonists declared 
that the tone of a certain town-meeting which he attended 

' In answer to misrepresentations of Barnard. ^ Magoon's " Orators of tlie American 
Kevolulion." ^ Vindication Town of Boston. 



33 

would have almost made him think himself rather in the 
British Senate than in the promiseuous assembly of a pro- 
vincial people, had ho not boen convinced by the genuine 
integrity and manly hardihood of the speakers, that they 
were not tainted by venality nor debauched by luxury.' 
Making due allowances for tha nature of the sources from 
which testimon}^ as to the character of these meetings comes, 
the fact remains, that they were of a remarkably high order, 
worthy of any land or era. Thsy were uniformly character- 
ized by Avisdom, dignity, and manly resolution. The justice 
of their cause inspired the people with both courage and 
moderation. / 

These meetings were peculiarly blessed with high-souled 
and brilliant leaders. What a galaxy of ganius and devotion 
do the early town-meetings of Boston alone present ! Men 
of arts, men of science, divines, lawyers, doctors, mechanics, 
merchants, — all coml)ined their talents in the conduct of 
these assemblies. Partii-ip iting in these popular gatherings 
were a future president of the United States, four governors 
of Massachusetts, foreign ministers, state officials, members 
of Congress, judges, soldiers. Lod by such a band, how 
could these town meetings fail to be great powers for good 
and mighty engines of antagonism ! 

In Boston, the most important of these meetings were fre- 
quently, and the largest always, held in the Old South 
Church. The only other place in town of equal size was 
outdoors, otherwise known as Liberty Hall, which was, in 
fact, the open land under and around Liberty Tree. Liberty 
Hall seems to have been used for popular gatherings of a less 
formal and ordinary character than town-meetings usually 
were. "When Faneuil Hall, the capacity of which was then 
but half what it is today, overflowed, resort was generally 
had to the Old South Church. The first of these meetings 
in the latter place which we shall notice, was held on June 
14th, 1768, and Avas the largest which had ever then been 

' Boston Gazette, Dec. 20, 1773. 



34 

known. In order to understand its signiticancc, the events 
which gave rise to it must first l)e mentioned. 

The Ivevenue Act Avhicli passed in Parliament in 1767 w^as 
declared in America to be not less odious than the Stamp 
Act had been ; and the colonists determined to present as 
obstinate an opposition to this new form of oppression as 
they had to its predecessor. To collect the revenue, the 
Crown appointed a Commission, and fixed its headquarters 
in Boston. Upon the members of this Commission was at 
once fastened the animosity of the people, who viewed every 
move of theirs with misgiving and discontent. The Com- 
missioners unnecessarily increased the otherwise unenviable 
odium of their positions by unfair and vexatious proceedings. 
They bore themselves with such arrogance in the discharge 
of their duties, that they secured the enmity of the colonies 
in general and of Boston in particular. 

On the 18th of March, 1768 — the anniversary of the 
repeal of the Stamp Act, which Avas regularly celel^rated — 
two of the Commissioners were hung in efEgy. Governor 
Barnard had answered the application of the Board for pro- 
tection in case of emergency, by acknowledging that his 
power in the colony was too weak to guaranty safety to 
anybody. The Commissioners, by magnifying and distbrt- 
inir the occurrences of this celebration, were enabled to 
secure the appearance in Boston Harbor of his ]\Iajesty's 
armed frigate ''Romney." Until then, wrote Quincy, the 
Tories had threatened all sorts of condign measures of cor- 
rection, but this was the first actual show of force. The 
mere presence of a man-ofwar in their peaceful harbor, w^ith 
a purpose such as the Roraney's was known to be, was, in 
itself, enough to arouse the anger of the people ; but the 
jiroceedings which followed her arrival were calculated to 
increase the popular indignation. 

On Friday, June 10th, John Hancock's sloop "Liberty" 
was seized by revenue officials for an alleged violation of. 
the law. As the seizure took place just after working-hours, 



35 

the " broad arrow " on the sloop attracted the attention of 
passers-by. A crowd soon giithcrcd on the wharf. The 
revenne officers, as if fearing interference, cut the sloop's 
moorings, and peamen from the Romney moved her nnder 
the guns of the frigate. All this did not occur without dis- 
turbance, the vulgar and offensive language of the officers 
being returned by the insolence of tlie citizens. The latter, 
becoming greatly incensed, degenerated into a mob. Some 
violence, though no serious injury, was inflicted upon several 
of the King's people, and the Collector's pleasure-boat was 
dragged to the Common and burnt. The more orderly citi- 
zens, however, exerted themselves in f:ivor of quiet and 
good order, and succeeded iii their eff )rts to have the crowd 
disperse. By eleven o'clock the town was as peaceable as 
ever. 

But, notwithstanding their lawful conduct, the people, as a 
body, Avere greatly excited. The leaders did not pretend to 
justify the mob's proceedings, but claimed that the respon- 
sibility properly rested upon the crown officials, whose 
insolent and arbitrary conduct had enraged the people. The 
circumstances of the case were all peculiarly aggravating, 
the name of the sloop and of her patriotic owner adding to 
the intensity of the townsmen's feelings. 

On Saturday population indignation was, with excellent 
reason, greatly intensified : on that day occurred another 
instance of impressment for the royal service, which had been 
already practiced to a large extent. Whatever may be the 
opinion entertained as to the other occurrences of that period, 
this can Have no excuse nor palliation. Here was a clear 
violation of the liberties of a free people. "These things," 
says Dr. Snow in his History of Boston, "added to 'the pros- 
pect that the trade and business of the town was in a manner 
ruined, raised such a spirit of resentment in the people, that 
the commissioners and their officers, with the collector and 
comptroller, thought it most prudent to repair on board the 
Romney, as did also the officers of that ship." 



30 

The greatest check upon any further demonstrations was, 
probably a call which had been issued for a general meeting 
around Liberty Tree, on Tuesday, June 14. This emanated 
from the "Sons of Liberty," an organization of patriots 
which plaj^ed a very prominent part in these ante-revolu- 
tionary proceedings. Time enough elapsed before Tuesday 
morning to spread the news in the country round about, 
so that upon that day many persons came into Boston from 
the neighboring regions. The day being rainy and disagree- 
al)le, and Liberty Hall affording no protection from the ele- 
ments, before any Ijusiness was transacted the concourse re- 
paired to Faneuil Hall. AYhen the meeting was called to 
order, it was voted, that, as it had been informally called, it 
should dissolve. This was done after a request had been 
voted that the selectmen should call a regular meeting to as- 
semble on the afternoon of the same day. The selectmen 
complied with this petition, and accordingly at three o'clock 
the meeting was opened in Faneuil Hall. " But," says a 
local paper of the period, "the hall not being large enough 
to contain one half of those who attended, they adjourned 
to the Old So.uth Meeting-House." ' 

This was the largest town-meeting which had ever then 
been known. James Otis was elected moderator, and pro- 
ceeded to the pulpit amidst storms of applause. Since his 
distinguished effort against the issuing of Writs of Assist- 
ance he had been one of the people's idols. Though a man 
of warm temperament and vehement speech, he was endowed 
with excellent tact and cool judgment. He seems to have 
been pre-eminently qualified to direct and control' the pro- 
ceedings of such great popular concourses as those which 
assembled in the Old South Church. Among so many men, 
all of whom felt, in some degree, the oppression of the laws 
against which they protested, there were of course some 
whose turbulent spirits and fanatical minds always made 
them objects of solicitude to those of more rational under- 

' Boston Chronicle. 



37 

standings. Such, however, had as full a right to unburden 
their minds in the meetin2:s of the townsmen as the wisest 
among them. Honored and admired by those over whom 
he presided, Otis' ready tongue and good judgment always 
enabled him to preserve order and good conduct among 
them. 

Upon taking the chair, Otis addressed the people, and 
was followed by others, all breathing a spirit of determina- 
tion to resist the encroachments and oppressions of the 
British Parliament. It is noticeable that during the early 
years of the colonies' protests, their complaints were all 
aimed against Parliament or the ministry, and never against 
the King. It was only when the wise ones saw what Patrick 
Henry taught them, that Avar was inevitable, that they ven- 
tured to refer to the King in other than courteous and 
submissive terms . 

The main object of this meeting of June 14th was to 
demand that the frigate Romney should be immediately 
ordered out of the harbor. A petition to the Governor 
was prepared, and was adopted after careful consideration. 
The uniform vigor, clearness, and perspicuity of the docu- 
ments framed by the patriots of the American revolution, in 
which they set forth their grievances and demanded their 
rights, are really remarkable. They could have emanated 
from no other people, at no other time, in no other cause. 
In Boston the pen of Samuel Adams was more frequently 
employed in public matters than that of any other person. 
Of his writings it is admitted on all hands that they were 
remarkable above all things for their chaste and beautiful 
simplicity and for their unimpeachable logic. They always 
had a manly ring about them, being characterized by bold- 
ness, penetration, clearness, and force. He possessed that 
" acuteness which saw at once the weak side of an argument, 
went directly to the point, and exposed all fallacies with 
clearness and force." 

We have no report of the speeches of this meeting, but 



38 

the petition to the Governor and his answer thereto were 
printed in full by the local papers. The petition, after a 
formal opening, runs as follows : — 

"Your petioners consider the British Constitution as the basis of 
their safety and happiness. By that is establislied, No man sliall be 
governed by laws, nor taxed, but by himself or representatives, le- 
gally and fairly chosen, and to which he does not give his own consent. 
In open violation of these fundamental rights of Britons, laws and 
taxes are imposed on us, to which we not only have not given our con- 
sent, but against which we have most firmly remonstrated 

We find ourselves invaded Avith an armed force, seizing, impressing, 
and imjirisoning the i^ersons of our fellow subjects, contrary to express 

acts of parliament All navigation is obstructed, u2)on 

which alone our whole support depends ; and the town is at this crisis 
in a situation, nearly such, as if war was formally declared against it." 
Here follows a remarkable passage : — 

"To contend with our parent-state, is, in our idea, the most shocking 
and dreadful extremity ; but tamely to relinquish the only st>curity 
we and o^ir children retain of the enjoyment of our lives and proper- 
ties, without one struggle, is so humiliating and base, that we cannot 
support the reflection. We apprehend, Sir, that it is at j^our option, 
in your power, and we would hoi^e in your inclination, to prevent this 
distressed and justly incensed people from efiecting too much, and 
from the shame and reproach of attempting too little." 

From effecting too much, and from attempting too little! 
Could the thing have been better expressed ? 

The record states that the petition to the Governor was 
adopted "after cool and deliberate debates upon the distressed 
circumstances of the town and critical condition of affairs." 
The Governor being at his country-seat in Jamaica Plains, 
several miles from the Old South Church, the petition was 
intrusted to a committee of twenty -two, who were directed 
to present it to his Excellency at once, and to convey back 
his reply. The meeting then adjourned till the next day at 
four o'clock. Before dismissing the people Otis urged upon 
them the necessity of peace and order. He showed his 
spirit, however, by the use of the following language : — 

" The grievance the people labor under may in time be removed ; if 
not, and we are called on to defend our liberty and j^rivilcges, I hope 



39 

and believe we shall, one and all, resist unto blood; but, at the same 
time, I i^ray Almighty God it may never so happen." 

The Governor being at a distance, the committee repaired 
to his residence in chaises, eleven of which set out for Ja- 
maica Plains together. Meanwhile his Excellency had been 
made acquainted with the fearless proceedings of the towns- 
men, which quite confirmed him in his fears of a wild and 
ungovernable insurrection. Warren's biographer ' indulges 
the fancy, that, as the Governor "was aAvaiting the ar- 
rival of his confidential adviser (Hutchinson), he must 
have been surprised to see on the road, moving towards his 
house, not a noisy populace, pell-mell, flourishing pikes and 
liberty caps, but a train of eleven chaises, from which 
alighted at his door the respectable committee from the meet- 
ing ; among whom were Otis, Samuel Adams, and Warren." 
Besides these gentlemen, the committee also included John 
Hancock, Thomas Cushing, Josiah Quincy, Ilichard Dana, 
Benjamin Church, Samuel Pemberton, and others of equal 
worth. 

The Governor, vainly hoping to conciliate and compromise 
with the people, received their committee very graciously, 
or, as he said, "with all possible civility," The petition 
having been read, a general interchange of views took place, 
the Governor talking freely with his callers. Barnard real- 
ized the nicety of his situation, and, confessedly unable to 
command, he was anxious to win obedience. Before the 
committee departed, wine Avas handed around, and good- 
fellowship prevailed. The gentlemen of the committee left 
highly pleased with their reception, "especially that part of 
them," wrote Barnard to Hillsborough, "which had not been 
used to an interview \vith me." 

Pursuant to adjournment, the people again assembled in 
town-meeting in the Old South Church at four o'clock on 
Wednesday afternoon. The committee which had waited 
upon the Governor reported that his Excellency had com- 

» Richard Frothingham. 



40 

raunicated a written answer to the town's petition, which an- 
swer was then read. The Governor's letter ran in part as 
follows : — 

"My office and station make me a very incompetent judge of the 
rio-hts you claim against acts of Parliament ; and therefore it would be 
of no purpose for me to express any opinion thereon. All I can say, is 
that I shall not knowingly infringe, but shall religiously maintain 
those Avhich are communicated to me, as a servant of the King. 

" In regard to the impressing of men for the service of the King, in 
his ships of war, it is practiced in Great Britain, and all other his 
Majesty's dominions, and therefore, I cannot dispute it in this part of 
them." • 

He promised, however, to endeavor to have the matter of 
impressment regulated. He protested that he had no author- 
ity over his Majesty's ships, and that it would be highly 
improper for him to presume to order the Romney away. 

Although the Governor did not fulfil the people's demands, 
he pleaded lack of power to do so, and on the whole, evinced 
such a conciliatory disposition, that his answer was received 
with unusual satisfactiou. Otis took pains to acknowledge 
the handsome treatment the committee had received at the 
hands of his Excellency, and went so far as to say that he 
believed Barnard was a well-wisher to the colony. Unless, 
however, some guaranty against repetitions of impressments 
had been given, the people would by no means have been 
satisfied. The assurance was received from Captain Corner 
of the Eomney. The Chronicle newspaper italicized the 
following paragraph : — 

" We are authorized to inform the public, that Captain Corner, Com- 
mander of his Majesty's .ship Romney, in case he should want any more 
men, will not take any belonging to, or married in the province, nor 
any employed in trade along shore, or to the neighboring colonies." 

Having adopted a long and spirited letter to the Colony's 
agent in London, and having chosen a committee to draft 
instructions to the town's representatives in the Legislature, 
the meeting adjourned, to meet in Faneuil Hall on Friday, 
the seventeenth. The folio wins: baud-bill shows the sense 



41 

of responsibility which these sturdy patriots felt wtis resting 
on their shoulders : — 

"Boston, June IG, 1768. 
" It is thought by the real frienrls of liberty, that the fate of America 
depends on the steady and firm rcsolutioti of the town of Boston, at the 
adjournment of their meeting to-morrow. It is earnestly wished and 
instructed, that the well-disposed inhabitants would excite each other 
to give their punctual attendance at so imjjortant a crisis." 

As this meeting concerning the removal of the Ronmey 
was the largest, so it was the boldest regularly constituted 
assembly which had convened in this section, Tlie petition 
to the governor was pronounced by Hutchinson to be the 
most extraordinary thing that had appeared, while other 
j)lacemen seized uj^on it as conclusive evidence of the neces- 
sity of the presence of troops in Boston, — a l)oon which all 
loyalists who desired to overawe the people hoped for. Of ^ 
this the first great popular gathering in the Old South Church 
it has been well said : "It was in harmony, in principle and 
in object, with the views of a great people. It was an illus- 
tration of an intelligent American opinion, appearing as an 
actor on the public stage. And hence it indicated, not a 
mere ripple on the top of shallow waters, but a ground-swell 
of an ocean-tide of irresistil)le and providential power," ' 

' Richard Frothingham. 



V. 

THE OLD SOUTH AND THE BOSTON MASSACRE. 

The intcrvjil between June, 1768, and March, 1770, 
though not marked by any notable popular demonstrations 
in Boston, was nevertheless a period of great importance. 
Before proceeding to an account of the remarkable meeting 
in the Old South Church which took place on the day' suc- 
ceeding the Boston Massacre, it may be necessary to an 
understanding of its full significance to pass in rapid review 
the state of things in Boston since the great assembly of 
June, '68. 

In February, 1768, the Massachusetts Legislature ad- 
dressed to " the Speakers of the respective Houses of Rep- 
resentatives and Burgesses on this Continent " a Circular 
Letter, " with respect," Samuel Adams, the author, after- 
wards said, "to the importance of joining with them, in 
petitioning his Majesty." As lawful as such a proceeding 
undoubtedly was, it roused the fear and malignity of the 
royalists to such a degree, that the harshest measures were 
instantly determined upon. In unity of purpose and con- 
cert of action on the part of the colonics England foresaw 
one of two results, — either an end in the provinces of En- 
glish exaction or an end of English rule. The ministry 
directed Governor Barnard to demand of the Assembly the 
prompt recision of their Circular Letter, and this command 
was communicated to that body on -the twenty-first of June. 
The Legislature were sensilde of the importance of their 
course, and debated the matter for several days. "Here Avas 
the Legislature of a provincial town," says the biographer 
of Samuel Adams,' the political and commercial center of 
New England, coolly bearding the terrible power of Britain, 
and convened to consult upon the question of refusing to 
comply with a direct command of the King." But the As- 

1 William V. Wells. 



43 

sembly did not falter, and on Jthic 30th tlicy decided, 
ninety-two to seventeen, to disobey the royal mandate. 
Samuel Adams is said to have exclaimed, " This is a glorious 
day ! " while the sturdy Samuel Cooper added, "This is the 
most glorious day ever seen ! " The majority were after- 
wards known as "The Glorious Ninety-two." 

In accordance with his instructions, the Governor pro- 
rogued and thou dissolved the assembly. The right of united 
petition was denied, and the province was left without a 
legislature. 

The determination had already been taken to send troops 
to Boston, though such design AA'as not announced to the 
colonists, who were well known to consider this the most 
dangerous form of invasion of their liberties. Hints, how- 
ever, were — artfnllj', as he thought — thrown out by Gov- 
ernor Barnard, who afterwards said : "I thought it would be 
best that the expectation of the troops should be gradually 
communicated, that the heads of the faction might have time 
to consider well what they were about." And he was not 
disappointed in his purpose ; " the heads of the faction " did 
consider well the duties of the hour, and acted up to the 
dignity of their calling. 

Having vainly petitioned the Governor to comply with the 
spirit of an existing law of England, which declared, that, 
for the redress of grievances and the preservation of the 
laws, parliaments ought to be held frequently, the citizens 
of Boston invited all the towns of the colony to choose com- 
mittees, which were requested to assemble in Faneuil Hall, 
September 22d, 1768. These delegations accordingly assem- 
bled, and were collectively termed a "Committee of Conven- 
tion." The purpose of this convention was declared to be to 
consult upon and to advise such proceedings as the distressed 
condition of the country required. Although it disavowed 
all authority, the Governor insisted that this convention, 
despite its name, was nothing else than a legislative body, 
which, not being regularly assembled, was therefore illegal. 



44 

He refused to receive aiir communication from it ; ])nt, being 
emboldened by advices of the near arrival of royal troops, 
he issued a manifesto against the members, and commanded 
them to disperse. He said that ignorance of huv ( ! ) might 
excuse what had already been done, but that if his request 
was now disregarded, he should " assert the prerogative of 
the crown in a more public manner," — which, being inter- 
preted, meant, that he expected troops daily, and should not 
hesitate to use them when they came. But the Committee 
remained in session long enough to estal)lish a precedent, 
by which, in future, the arbitrary dissolution of the people's 
assemblies should not be a1)le entirely to deprive them of 
united consultation. 

Upon the day succeeding the voluntary dissolution of the 
Committee of Convention, September 30th, 17G8, the royal 
forces arrived. On Saturday, October 1st, "with insolent 
parade, drums beating, fifes playing, and coh)urs flying,"' 
they marched up King Street. This force consisted of the 
Fourteenth and Twenty-ninth regiments, a detachment from 
the Fifty-ninth, and a train of artillery with two pieces of 
cannon. In the fall the main guard was posted opposite the 
State House, and cannon were levelled against the legisla- 
tive hall. Well might the legislators of the following year 
declare : — 

"An ai-mament by sea and land, investing the metropolis, and a 
military guard with cannon i^ointed at the very door of the State House, 
where this assembly is held, is inconsistent Avith that dignity as well 
as that freedom with which Ave have a right to deliberate, consult, and 
determine." 

During the year 17G9 the British Parliament, warned by 
the decrease of trade, removed the obnoxious duties from 
all articles transported into the colonies except tea. The 
rigid to tax, however, was reserved : and that was just the 
point where the difference between America and England 
was the greatest. The repeal, therefore, did nothing to re- 
move the difficulty. A non-importation agreement was this 

^ From the inscription on an engraving of the British fleet by Paul Revere. 



45 

year adopted in Boston and rigidly adhered to. Every ef- 
fort was made to ensnare the people's leaders, and proofs of 
treason were eagerly sought, in order that they might be 
transported for trial. But the patriots were as wise as they 
were bold, and discovered a knowledge of English law which 
surprised and confomided the Crown lawyers. 

We cannot do better, at this point, than to employ the 
language of jNIr. AY. V. Wells in his excellent biography of 
Samuel Adams, in which he summarizes the condition of 
affairs during the occupancy of Boston l^y the royal forces : — 

"The troops, "vVithout an enemy to figlit, were standing proofs of the 
uselessness of their mission. The fleet, consisting of eiglit war vessels, 
commanded the harbor ; and the roj'al regiments had possession of the 
onl}^ land commnnieations with the town. Red coats, glittering bayo- 
nets, martial mnsic, and all the j^araphernalia of war were constantly 
jjaraded in the faces of the exasperated jieople. The legislative halls 
were occupied by armed mercenaries, and cannon pointed at the doors ; 
the quiet of the Sabbath was disturbed, and citizens were challenged 
at every corner as in time of martial law. As the hatred between the 
jieople and the troops daily increased in virulence, complaints wei'e 
made that numbers of the inhabitants had been insulted and arrested, 
jostled in the street, and thrust at with bayonets." September 4th, 17G9, 
James Otis was assaulted in a coffee-house by one of the Commis- 
sioners, and received injuries which shortly sent him into retirement, 
his brilliant intellect being as sad a Avreck as his injured body. " The 
slaves were excited against their masters, and the law was openly vio- 
lated in innumerable instances. Brawls and revels by night, and out- 
rages by day, characterized the life of the soldiers ; while, to scanda- 
lize the town and corrupt the morals of the young, hundreds of 
abandoned women who had followed tlie army from Europe to Halifax, 
came thence to Boston. They were the most dissolute creatures, and 
many soon found their way into the alms-house, and thus increased the 
public burdens. To kee]^ his countrymen thoroughly aro.used to the 
ignominjr of their jjosition under these outrages, Mr. Adams lost no 
opportunity of stinging the public mind to tlie quick with cogent essays 
in the newspapers, Avliich, among the many acts of tyrann}', had not 
yet been supjii'essed." 

The foregoing narrative of events prepares us to under- 
stand a conflict which took place on the Fifth of March, 
1770. Minor difficulties were of frequent occurrence, and 



46 

a hloody culmination was naturally expected. The crisis 
came on the evening of the clay just mentioned, when oc- 
curred Avhat has ever since been termed the " Boston Massa- 
cre," an affray between citizens and soldiers wherein several 
of the former lost their lives. AYhether the name of "mas- 
sacre " has or has not rightly attached to this event, is not 
for us to consider here.* Indisputable it is, however, that 
it was the natural result of the tyrannical policy w^hich had 
stationed insolent soldiery in the midst of a proud, free, and 
mdependent people. It brought matters to a crisis, and 
roused the people to the determination to clear the town of 
soldiers, be the consequences what they might. The people 
had been struck in the face, and, like a proud man, they 
rose mightily to obtain redress — peaceably if they could, 
forcibly if they must. 

Early on the morning of the sixth the town and county 
authorities waited upon Lieutenant-Governor Hutchinson, 
who, since Barnard's recall in the previous year, had admin- 
istered the government, and expressed to him the opinion 
that the removal of the troops was the only means of avert- 
ino; further collision. The Lieutenant-Governor had assem- 
bled the Council, and sent for Colonels Dalrymple and Carr 
to sit with them as military advisers. He realized that every 
resource at his command must be ready for employment. 
AVhilo the selectmen and county justices were still Avitli the 
Govei'nor and Council, a messenger arrived with a request 
from the townsm(>n assembled in Faneuil Hall, that the 
selectmen Avould lend their immediate presence. They 
instantly obeyed the summons, and found the "Cradle of 
Liberty " filled with an angered though orderly throng of 
townsmen. As' highly incensed as the people were, they 
yet manifested a general disposition "to act with caution, 
deliberation, and in a spirit of unity, and doubtless with the 
consideration, that the eyes of the friends of their cause 
were upon them." - 

1 See Bancroft's Uist. IT. S. vol. vi, 3.34-341, and note, 347-9. — " Xarr.itive Horrid Mas- 
sacre." — Trial of Preston and the Soldiers. ^ Frotliincrham's Life of Warren. 



47 

The town officers having arl'ived, and a moderator having 
been chosen, liev. Dr. Cooper was asked to open the meet- 
ing with prayer. Peculiarly gifted with the power of fervent 
and eloquent supplication, his prayer, upon such an occasion, 
must have sunk deep into the hearts of his hearers. After 
a time, the meeting was addressed liy Samuel Adams, who 
spoke with a nervous energy and impressive force which 
arrested the attention of every auditor. There was so nuich 
pathos, as well as determination, in his address, that, it is 
recorded, every heart was moved. A committee of fifteen 
was appointed, Samuel Adams chairman, to wait upon the 
Lieutenant-Governor, and inform him that the citizens of 
Boston had resolved to be rid of the troops, and to beg him 
to use his power and influence to bring about their speedy 
departure. The meeting then dissolved, the people having 
voted to meet at the same place, in regular town-meeting, at 
three o'clock of the same day. 

The committee immediately proceeded to the Council 
Chamber. The Lieutenant-Governor seemed anxious to par- 
ley, but the committee refused to discuss the matter. . Hutch- 
inson, stung by their independence, reminded them that it 
was treason to fire upon the King's forces. The townsmen 
retorted only by repeating the demand for the troops' re- 
moval, and withdrew into an adjoining room to await an 
answer. The Lieutenant-Governor plead that he had no 
power over the military ; but Col. Dalrymple promised to 
remove the regiment which had been chiefly concerned, and 
to put the other under greater restraint. Hutchinson con- 
sented to meet the Council again in the afternoon, which, as 
we shall see, was an important point gained. 

At three o'clock the town-meetins: was orijanized inFaneuil 
Hall by the choice of Thomas Gushing moderator. But the 
hall's capacity was far beneath the requirements of the oc- 
casion, affording room for thirteen hundred only. All day 
long the farmers of the surrounding country had been pour- 
ing into Boston, so that the multitude was unusually great. 





48 

Acljounmient was almost immediately had to " Dr. Sewall's 
Meeting-House," as the Old South was generally called at 
that time. Doubtless the greater part of the people pro- 
ceeded up King (now State) street, over the scene of the 
last night's conflict, and past the Town House, (now known 
as the Old State House,) where the Governor and Council 
were assembled. May we not believe that Hutchinson, look- 
ing from a window upon this 
great assembly, acknowl- 
edged, even in his ambitious 
heart, that it is a dreadful 
^- thing to stand against an in- 
jured X)eoi[)lel All the pre- 
ifli ferments for which he had 
/j> schemed and labored must 
'■-% then have seemed poor re- 
'^- ward for the part he was com- 

TIIE OLD STATE HOUSE. pcllcd tO phiy. 

The street leading from the Town House to the Old South 
was densely packed with people when Samuel Adams, at the 
head of the town's committee, commenced to take his way 
towards the meeting-house. With hat in hand, and with 
gray locks flowing in the air, he passed rapidly through the 
avenue of human forms, which, at the cry of" Make way 
for the committee," was opened through the crowd. As he 
passed along, the champion of his admiring fellows, he gave 
the Avord, "Both regiments or none," to those who trusted in 
his wisdom. 

Arrived at the church, it was with difficulty that the com- 
mittee reached their places through a crowd which filled the 
house and overflowed into the streets around. The pews, 
the aisles, the pulpit stairs, the galleries — all were full of as 
resolute a set of men as ever assembled in such a place. 
The chairman afterwards described them as " graA^e and sad 
men." The Lieutenant-Governor's answer was read to the 
meeting. At its close the cry broke forth, " Both regiments 



49 

or none ! " Samuel Adams did not hesitate to express his 
dissatisfaction with the answer. After a short debate, the 
question was put, whether the answer of the Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor was satisfactory ; three thousand freemen shouted 
" No ! " — a vote which nuist have struck consternation to the 
heart of Hutchinson if he heard its echoes. He had decUired 
in the morning that upon no consideration would he now 
order the troops away, and that "he meant to receive no fur- 
ther application on the subject." 

Desiring even yet to " keep the enemy in the wrong," and 
to exhaust every legal measure to obtain redress, the meet- 
ing chose a committee of seven to convey a final demand. 
This committee included Samuel Adams, William Molincaux, 
William Phillips, Joseph Warren, Joshua Henshaw, and 
Samuel Peml)erton, who were instructed to inform the Gov- 
ernor that his answer to the town's request was l)y no moans 
satisfactory, and that the people, in town-meeting assembled, 
imperatively demanded the immediate removal of his Maj- 
esty's troops. 

When the committee of seven started from the church to 
the Town House the hazy twilight of a New England spring 
had settled over the town, lending a sadder tinge to the 
already sombre aspect. The hearts of the jieople corres- 
ponded with their surroundings, everyone realizing the un- 
certain and possibly bloody issue of the meeting. The com- 
mittee immediately repaired to the Council Chamber. Their 
mission was of the most critical character. In their hands 
they bore the mandate of an incensed people ; and iqion the 
wisdom of their action and the Governor's response, hung 
the issue of peace or carnage. It was not an exaggeration 
for the historian to record : " Boston, indeed America, had 
seen no hour of intenser interest, of deeper solemnity, of 
more instant peril, or of truer moral sublimity." The people 
had not shed a drop of blood, nor entertained a thought of 
insurrection, till the blood of their countrymen stained their 
streets, and the conflict of reason had proved unavailing. 

4 



50 

Having arisen in their might, they meant to see the crisis 
through. Be results what they may, they said, the soldiers 
must leave our streets. Now it was that the "incendiary 
chiefs," "the heads of the faction," confounded the predic- 
tions of their enemies. Surely, the time was ripe for bloody 
work ; but these men exerted themselves to restrain the 
people, and to govern their resentment. Their oT)jeet always 
was to "keep the enemy in the Avrong," in order that the 
people's cause might appear to be Avhat it reall}' was — 
the honest protest of "a plain, unaffected, but high-souled 
people, "whose rights and liberties were ruthlessly disregarded. 

No one better knew the vast responsibilities of the moment 
than sturdy Samuel Adams. Already his hope of final com- 
promise was gone, and he felt that there was but one solution 
to the problem, and that was Independence. But the time 
was not yet that he could even breathe his faith to his closest 
friends, much less allow an insurrection to force its contem- 
plation prematurely on the country. He felt that, if neces- 
sary, all his powers must come forth today ; tliat not an 
effort must be spared to effect an amicable conclusion to the 
crisis. Grand Sam Adams ! how worthy were you of the 
name of Father of the Revolution ! 

Neither was Governor Hutchinson unmindful of the weight 
of his responsibility. In his report to the home government 
he said, "The calling of the Council could not ])e avoided, 
though I knew no good could come from it." He knew the 
mettle of the committee who had come to fjice him, and he 
knew the temper of the people who thronged the streets around 
the Town House. The multitude without was "not a de- 
pendent and starved host, wildly urging the terrible demand 
of ' Bread or Blood : ' nor was it fanaticism in a season of 
discontent, claiming impossibilities at the hand of power: 
the craving was moral and intellectual ; it was an intelligent 
public opinion, a people, with well-grounded and settled 
convictions, making a just demand on arbitrary power." ' 

1 Richard Frothingham. 



51 

He realized then, as he subsequently wrote, that the people 
were " warmed with a persuasion that what they were doing 
was right, and that they were struggling for the liberties of 
America." And what man, without trepidation, can set him- 
self against such a conviction of an enlightened people ? He 
well knew the truth of Avhat one of his Councillors told him : 
"They are not such a people as formerly pulled down }our 
house, who conduct the present measures. No : they are 
people of the best characters among us, men of estates, men 
of religion. They have formed their plan for removing the 
troops out of town ; and it is impossi])le that they should 
remain in it. The people will come in from the neighl)oring 
towns ; there will be ten thousand men to effect the removal 
of the troops, be the consequence what it may." 

And so these men met ; the one surrounded hy insignia 
of office and the paraphernalia of power, the other backed 
by great principles and upheld by the confidence of his coun- 
trymen. The royal Governor, in the midst of his Council 
and supported by the King's officers, seems insignificant 
before the gray-haired patriot, accompanied by no other ret- 
inue than six townsmen, plain men like himself. 

When Samuel Adams rose to present the town's resolve, 
he urged upon the Governor the importance of his acquies- 
cence. "He represented," wrote John Adams, who has 
given a spirited description of this interview, " the state of 
the town and the country, the dangerous, ruinous, and fatal 
effects of standing armies in populous cities in time of peace, 
and the determined resolution of the public that the reguLir 
troops, at all events, should l)e removed from the town." 
"We have the testimony of at least one historian, that, so 
surcharged with earnestness was he, he communicated his 
own nervous trembling to Dairy mple. The reply of the 
Lieutenant-Governor was substantially a repetition of the 
plea of lack of power to comply, but expressed readiness to 
adhere to the offer already made, with Col. Dalrymple's con- 
currence, to remove one regiment. 



52 

This was the golden moment. The inconsistency of the 
plea and the oiler did not escape the keen perception of 
Samnel Adams. " On ordinary occasions he seemed like 
ordinary men ; hut in moments of crisis, he rose naturally 
and unaffectedly into the altitude of highest dignity, and 
spoke as if the hopes of humanity were dependent on his 
words.'" As he arose to his feet the gathering twilight 
ennobled his manly proportions, and wrapped the whole 
apartment in impressive shade. He seemed not to represent 
but to eml)ody the universal feeling," and his outstretched 
arm appeared to be upheld by the strength of thousands. 
There was in his very silence a nobility, in his very attitude 
an eloquence, which words cannot express. The energies 
of his great soul were roused. Fixing his searching eyes 
upon the Governor, he commenced to speak. An hereditary 
tremulousness may, perhaps, have extended to his voice. 
We may well l)elieve that his words came with a nervous 
energy and manly force which sunk them deep into the 
memories of his auditors. Drawing his stalwart form to its 
greatest height, and stretching forth his arm, " which slightly 
shook with the energy of his soul," he uttered the following 
words in a tone, not loud, but deep, earnest, and indescrib- 
ably impressive : — 

"It is well known, that, acting as Governor of tlie Province, you 
are, by its charter, the Commander-in-Chief of tlie military forces 
within it ; and, as such, tlie troops now in the cajjital are subject to 
your orders. If you, or Colonel Dalrymple under you, have power to 
remove one regiment, you have the power to remove both ; and nothing 
short of their total removal will satisfy the people or preserve the j)eace 
of the province. A multitude, highly incensed, now wait the result of 
this ai)i)lication. The voice of ten thousand freemen demands that both 
regiments be forthwith removed. Their voice must be respected, — 
their demand obeyed. Fail, then, at yoiir peril, to eomi^ly with this 
requisition! On you alone rests the responsibility of the decision ; and, 
if the just expectations of the people are disappointed, you must be an- 
swerable to God and your country for the fatal consequences that must 
ensue. The committee have discharged their dut}', and it is for you to 
discharge yours. They wait j^our linal determination." 
1 Baucroft's Hist. U. S. - Tmlor'd Life of Otis. 



53 

His auditors sat spellbound. Silence fell upon all present 
at the conclusion of this outburst. The Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor could ill conceal his discomfiture. Said Adams after- 
wards, in a letter to a friend : "If fancy deceived me not, I 
observed his knees to tremble ; I thought I saw his face 
grow pale, and I enjoyed the sight." And well he might, for 
Hutchinson's discomforture meant the people's peace. The 
royalists forgot their haughtiness in the presence of Samuel 
Adams. "They shrunk, fortunately shrunk, from all the 
arrogance they had hitherto maintained." ' When the Lieu- 
tenant-Governor recovered from the spell which bound him 
even after the patriot's voice had ceased, he consulted in low 
tones with the Councillors and officers. The issue was fairly 
presented, but even then he hesitated. After the committee 
withdrew a long consultation followed. The people grew 
impatient. The word finally passed that Dalrj-mple had 
thrown the responsibility upon Hutchinson, who now alone 
held ont. But a decision was finally reached, and Avas com- 
municated to the committee. The demands of the people 
were regarded, and the promise was given that every soldier 
should leave the town. 

We find no account of the committee's return from the 
Town House to the church. It appears that the answer was 
not communicated to the people until it was announced to 
the assembly in the Old South Church. Darkness had fallen 
upon the streets before the Governor's answer was made 
known, and, perhaps, the committee may not have been 
noticed as they went towards the meeting-house. Here, 
hoAvever, a great concourse awaited their coming. When 
the Lieutenant-Governor's answer was read, we may imag- 
ine what a shout l)urst from the throats of the townsmen. 
Yet the only record seems to be that " the Inhabitants could 
not avoid expressing the high Satisfaction it (the answer) 
afibrded them." ^ It may be that those " grave and sad men " 
were too deeply effected with the momentousness of the occa- 

1 Tudor's Life of Otis. 2 Boston Gazette, Mar. 12, 1770. 



54 

sion to be in the mood to manifest their satisfaction in a 
noisy way. Be this as it may, a great load was lifted from 
the patriots' hearts, and the danger of an untimely contest was 
happily averted. The officer in command had pledged his 
word " that he wonld begin the preparation in the morning, 
and that there should be no unnecessary delay until the whole 
of the two regiments were removed to the Castle," ' now 
Fort Independence. 

The moral effects of this victory of a plain and determined 
people over the representatives of royalty were of the utmost 
importance. It sent joy to the heart of every patriot, encour- 
aofino- the strons; and strengthening the weak. It demon- 
strated that there was a power in the land which even Kings 
could not disregard ; that there was an independence in the 
people which even bayonets could not curtail. 

Even now the people were not content to relinquish an 
oversight of the town. The committee of seven was con- 
stituted a "Committee of Safety," Avho were empowered to 
detail such citizens to guard the town as they thought neces- 
sary. A place of general rendezvous, in case of necessity, 
havino" been designated, the meeting adjourned, leaving their 
interests in the hands of the Committee of Safety, which 
had already, in another capacity, rendered such efficient 
service. 

Thus again the Old South Church figured conspicuously 
in one of the most important crises New England had ever 
known, and earned the name subseqnently accorded it of the 
" Sanctuary of Freedom." FiVNEUiL ILvll and the Old 
South Church have since become, by reason of these oc- 
currences, as dear to the heart as they are inspiring to the 
loyalty of -every true American. 

» Town Records. 



VI. 

THE OLD SOUTH AND THE BOSTON TEA TROUBLES. 

After the withdrawal of the royal troops the community 
became quieter, and the life of the colonists less eventful. 
Important considerations, however, were seldom absent from 
the public mind, and affairs were quietly, but none the less 
surely, approaching the inevitable crisis of resistance on the 
one side or concession on the other. In September of the 
same year of the massacre, the colonial mind was greatly 
exercised by the Governor's surrender of Castle William into 
the hands of the military commander, — an act in plain vio- 
lation of the colonial charter. The people regarded this 
measure as a new and alarming indication of the relentless 
and certain tightening of the hand of armed coercion, and of 
the increasing determination of the home government to 
employ whatever means appeared to it expedient, without 
regard to their equity or justice. 

The year 1771 was uneventful. So pacific did the face of 
things appear, that Hutchinson wrote, "The faction is dj^ing, 
but it dies hard." But the year did not pass without fur- 
nishing the patriots with fresh cause for alarm. On the 
twelfth of August twelve English war-vessels, mounting two 
hundred and sixteen guns, arrived in Boston Harbor and 
anchored before the city. 

During all this time of comparative quiet the leaders did 
not rest, nor were they wanting in material to employ their 
energies. A stubborn contention was all the while o'oinof on 
between the representatives of royalty and of the commoners, 
which was none the less important that it did. not involve 
popular demonstrations. The leading ideas combatted on 
the one hand and maintained on the other were those of local 
self-government as opposed to the unlimited supremacy of 
Parliament, and Union among the colonies. These issues 

i: 



56 

included or were provoked l)y those concerning the proposed 
dciiendcnce of the judges upon the Crown, the removal of 
the Generul Court to such places as the Governor saw fit, 
the legality and independence of town-meetings, and the 
establishment of Committees of Correspondence. For the 
latter event Samuel Adams labored with all his heart and 
soul, foreseeing in it the most formidable engine of opposi- 
tion M'hich had yet lieen devised. His efforts in this dh'cction 
were finally crowned with success, and Boston chose her 
committee Kovember 2d, 1772. It has been truly said of 
this step, that it "breathed life into the American devolu- 
tion, stamped with vitality all its subsequent measures, and 
arranged under the rules of perfect order and system what 
had, until then, been a series of inharmonious, desultor}^ 
efforts, without concentration or method." 

But the consideration which most nearly concerned the 
connnunity in general was that of the duties levied upon 
articles of home consumption. They had all been — as a 
matter of expediency, the ministry said — removed, except 
that upon tea. By retaining the duty upon this most cher- 
ished article, and by reducing tlie revenue upon it to the 
mere pittance of threepence per pound, it was thought that 
the colonies would yield. But it was the jyi-inaple of taxa- 
tion without representation which the people denied, and 
they did not permit themselves to be drawn into a false 
position by any such subterfuge. It was resolved that tea 
should not be imported and that the luxury should be dis- 
carded, until the obnoxious duty was removed. It is to the 
development of this line of opposition that the remainder of 
this chapter is devoted. 

On the very day of the Boston Massacre American affairs 
were debated in Parliament. In spite of valiant opposition, 
the duty on tea was retained. The opposition to the right 
of taxation without representation was nevertheless obsti- 
nately adhered to in America, although some were fearful 
tliat their countrymen would yield. "The whole continent 



57 

is so l)igoled and devoted to tea," said a writer in the Ga- 
zette, '"that there is really some reason to fear that they 
would part with all their liberties, and religion too, rather 
than renounce it." But such fears proved groundless. The 
ladies of Boston entered into a voluntary compact * to discon- 
tinue the use of that greatest of ladies' luxuries, expressing 
a strong desire to render such aid and comfort to their hus- 
bands, fathers, and brothers, as lay within their power. 

In January, 1770, the citizens of Boston took decisive 
measures to break up the traffic in tea, in which, regardless 
of the claims of country and unable to withstand the temp- 
tation of large j^rofits, some of the merchants of Boston had 
again engaged. These dealers had previously signed the 
non-importation agre;3ment, and were thus voluntary recu- 
sants to their solemn promises. In the Gazette ne^vrspaper — 
one of the January numbers — we find a long report of a 
meeting of merchants, assembled for the purpose of per- 
suading the two sons of Governor Hutchinson, and others, 
to comply with their former promises. Writing to ex-Gov- 
ernor Barnard, Hutchinson said of this meeting: "Justices 
of the peace, selectmen, representatives, constables, and 
other officers, who ought to have discountenanced this meet- 
ing, made a part of it." 

In May, 1773, Parliament granted to the East India Com- 
pany the privilege of exporting tea to America duty free, 
except a tariff of threepence per pound upon its landing. 
Even Hutchinson saw the folly of the continued attempt to 
encroach upon colonial rights in a direction already so stub- 
bornly contested. He wrote : " I know not what reason may 
make it necessary to continue the duty on tea ; but I think 
the repeal of it, or the making the same duty payal)le in 
England, is necessary to prevent disorders in the colonies." 

Public attention was first directed to the consignees ap- 
pointed by the East India Company to take charge of the tea 
upon its arrival. Several town meetings were held, and 

1 Aug. 15, 17G8. 2 Feb., 1770. 



58 

. strong efforts were made to induce them to resign their com- 
missions, but all to little effect. A month of excitement and 
commotion passed in anticipation of the arrival of the tea 
ships. Finally, on Sunday, November 28th, the ship Dart- 
mouth, Captain Hall, the property of Francis Eoth, anchored 
uiKler the guns of the Castle. The Gazette of INIonday, the 
29th, announced that there was on board "one hundred and 
fourteen chests of the so-much-detested East India Com- 
pany's tea, the expected arrival of which pernicious article 
has for some time past put all these northern colonics in a 
very great ferment." The journals of that day also reprinted 
a handbill wliich had been posted through the town, and 
which read as follows : — 

"FRIENDS! BRETHREN! COUNTRYMEN! 
"That -\A5orst of plagues, the detested TEA, shipped for this port by 
the East India Company, is now arrived in this harbour. The hour of 
destruction or manly opposition to the machinations of tyranny stares 
you in the face. Every friend to his country, to himself, and posterity, 
is now called upon to meet at Faneuil Hall at nine o'clock this day 
(at which time the bells will ring), to make a united and successful 
resistance to this last, worst, and most destructive measure of admin- 
istration." 

It has been properly observed that the measures resorted 
to in the times of the tea troubles must be judged of in a 
very different light than that of to-day, when written con- 
stitutions of state and nation distinctly indicate lawful and 
peaceable methods of testing the constitutionality of all public 
measures. In 1773 our forefathers, devoid of better means, 
were compelled to appeal to natural equity, and to rely upon 
the strength of their own right arms. 

Such complete reports of the two great meetings in the Old 
South Church which we are now to consider appeared in the 
local papers of the day, that little light is needed from other 
quarters. AVe shall, therefore, in reference to the first of 
these meetings, largely employ the language of the Boston 
Evening Post of December 6th, 1773, which presents the 
proceedings in a terse and comprehensive style. 



59 

Upon the ringing of the bells at nine o'clock, a great con- 
course of people flocked to Fanenil Hall, which, in point of 
size, fell far short of the requirements of the occasion. "Again 
the yeoman left his field, the mechanic his shop, and the 
merchant his counting-room, to turn politician and act for 
the country.'" As if to put the matter squarely in issue, 
and to test the minds of the people at the outset, the question 
was, after organization, almost immediately put, "Whether 
this Body are absolutely determined that the tea now arrived 
in Capt. Hall shall be returned to the place from whence 
it came at all events. And the question being accord- 
dingly put, it passed in the affirmative. Nem. con." But 
it was evident that the meeting was too great to be con- 
tained in Faneuil Hall, and adjournment was accordingly had 
to the Old South Church. Here, it is said, "five or six 
thousand of respectable inhabitants met, — men of the best 
characters and of the first fortunes."^ 

The vast assembly, having reached the Old South and 
filled every foot of available space in the galleries and on the 
floor, was again called to order, and the following motion 
submitted : " Whether it is the firm resolution of this Body 
that the tea shall not only be sent back, but that iio duty 
shall be paid thereon." Again the great meeting-house 
resounded to the resolute mandate of thousands of freemen. 
The record merely says, "passed in the affirmative. 'Nem 
con." The people had now given George HI ample opportu- 
nity "to try the question with America," as he had expressed 
the wish to do. There was certainly nothing to be desired 
in the clearness and positiveness of their position. Amono- 
the most prominent speakers at this meeting we find men- 
tioned Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, 
William Molineaux and Thomas Young. With such master 
spirits guiding the proceedings, we may confidently accept 
the truthfulness of the high character for moderation and 
good order accorded to this meeting. Though no reports of 

• rrothingham's Warren, 257. ^ jolm Scollay, one of the selectmen. 



60 

the speeches upon this occasion survived the day, they were 
doubtless woi-thy of such an hour. Hutchinson declared 
that "Adams was never in greater glory." 

Some sort of a proposal from the consignees had been 
expected during the morning, but none came, those gentle- 
men having thought best to retire to the security of Castle 
William. The meeting accordingly adjourned to the same 
place at three o'clock in the afternoon. 

The first business of the afternoon, according to the record 
from which we quote, was a motion, " Whether the tea now 
an'ived in Captain Hall's ship shall be sent back in the same 
bottom. — Passed in the afiirmative. Nem. con." Mr. Roth, 
owner of the ship Dartmouth, was present. Naturally moved 
by considerations of his own interest, he gave notice that he 
should protest against the proceedings of the meeting. This 
protest seems to have prompted the following significant 
action: "It was moved and voted, nem. con., that Mr. Roth 
be directed not to enter this tea ; and that the doing of it 
would be at his f)eril. 

"Also voted, that Capt. Hall, the master of the ship, be 
informed that at his peril he is not to suffer any of the tea 
brought by him to be landed." 

"In order for the security of Captain Hall's ship and 
cargo," a watch of twenty-five men was then appointed. 

At this stage of the proceedings it was announced that the 
Governor had taken ofiicial steps to prevent any " routes or 
riots" of the people. This was only a new form of his 
habitual denial of the legality of toAvn-meetings. This at- 
tempt to In-and the people, properly assembled, with the 
character of a lawless mob, Avas resented by the meeting, 
which unanimously declared that the Governor's conduct was 
solely designed to fonvard the views of Administration, and 
to cast reproach upon those there assembled. jNIr. Hancock 
stated that he was informed that the consignees had received 
their instructions only the night before, and therefore had 
had no opportunity of consulting together as to Avhat course 



61 

they should pursue ; they therefore desired further delay. 
"The meetmg out of great tenderuess to these persons," 
says the report, "and^from a strong desire to bring this mat- 
ter to a conclusion, notwithstanding the time they had hith- 
erto expended upon them to no purpose, were prevailed upon 
to adjourn to the next morning, nine o'clock." 

Tuesday, November oOth, the people assembled in the Old 
South Church according to adjom-nment. The long-delayed 
proposals from the consignees were brought into the meeting, 
directed, however, to one of the selectmen, instead of to the 
moderator. Notwithstanding this silent reflection upon the 
character of the assemlily, it w^as voted that the proposals 
should be read. The consignees merely ofiered to store their 
goods until further orders could be received from London. 
Before any action could be taken upon this communication, 
Sherift' Greenleaf appeared, and begged leave to read a 
proclamation of his Excellency the Governor. Whereupon 
it was moved and the question put, whether the Sheriff should 
be allowed to read the proclamation ; and it was a unanimous 
vote. The motives which inspired this vote were no doubt 
various : some, we may imagine, were actuated by a roguish 
curiosity to hear what their nominal ruler had to say ; while 
otheps Avere governed by the desire to show respect to every 
proper mandate of the royal representative, and, if not in 
conflict with their chartered rights, to obey it. 

In the direction of the writ the Governor took pains to 
ignore, or, rather, silently to deny, the legality of the assem- 
bly. The proclamation was to "Jonathan Williams, Esq., 
acting as a Moderator of an Assembly of People in the Town 
of Boston, and to the People so asseml)led." Tliis opening 
was not calculated to win for it any greater respect than 
otherwise w^ould have been accorded it. "Whereas," the 
mandate read, the people 'were " openly violating, defying, 
and setting at nought the good and wholesome laws of the 
Province, and the Constitution of the Government, 
I warn, exhort, and require you and each of you thus unlaw- 



62 

fully assembled forthwith to disperse and surcease all further 
unlawful proceedings, at 3'our utmost peril." When the 
Sheriff had finished reading, his loyal ears were shocked by 
"a loud and ver}^ general hiss." The question was imme- 
diately put, " Whether the assembly would disperse and sur- 
cease all further proceedings, according to the Governor's 
requirement. — It passed in the negative. Xem. con." 

Having thus summarily disposed of the mandate of the 
King's lieutenant, the meeting turned its attention to a pri- 
vate gentleman who had a proposition to make. This was 
Copley the artist, who painted the portraits of Hancock and 
Adams which now hang in Fanenil Hall. A genuine artist 
and a good citizen, he was admired in circles of refinement 
and respected in the*community at large. He wns a relative 
of the Messrs. Clarkes, consignees, and was anxious to bring 
about some understanclino; between them and the townsmen. 
The record is as follows : — 

" A proposal of Mr. Copley was made, that in ease he could prevail 
with the Mess. Clarkes to come into this meeting, the question might 
now be put, Whether they should be treated with civility while in the 
meeting, though they might be of different sentiments with this body, 
and tlieir persons be safe until their return to the place from whence 
they should come. — And the question being accordingly put, passed in 
the affirmative. Nem. con." Mr. Copley being allowed two hours to 
accomplish his mission, the meeting atljourned till two o'clock P. M. 

Upon the i^eople's reassembling, "a motion was made and passed 
that Mr. Roth and Captain Hall be desired to give their attendance." 

"Mr. Roth appeared, and upon a motion made, the question was put, 
whether it be the firm resolution of this body that the tea brought by 
Capt. Hall shall be returned by ]\Ir. Roth to England in the bottom in 
which it came ; and whether they now accordingly require the same, — 
which passed in the affirmative. Nem. con. Mr. Roth then informed 
the meeting that he should protest against the whole proceedings, as 
he had done against the proceedings on yesterday, but that, though the 
returning of the tea is an involuntary act in him, he yet considers him- 
self as under a necessity to do it, and shall therefore comply with the 
requirements of this body." 

This seemed to settle matters as far as the ship's owner 
was concerned, and attention was next given to its com- 



G3 

mancler, " Capt. Hall being present was forljid to aid or 
assist in iniloading the tea, at his peril ; and ordered, that 
if he continues master of the vessel, he carry the same back 
to London." The Captain gave assurances that he would 
comply with these requirements. 

After other persons had been summoned to attend the 
meeting, as Mr. Roth and Captain Hall had been, a captain 
of the night-watch was appointed. The character of these 
watches was remarkable. They were composed of volun- 
teers, who left their names at the printing-shop of Eades and 
Gill, publishers of the Gazette; and were under the control 
and direction of the Committee of Correspondence. The 
Committee of Safety of March, 1770, were made ex officio 
members and commanders of the night-watch of that period, 
thus enrolling in the popular ranks John Hancock, Joseph 
'\A"arren, Samuel Adams, and others mIio subsequently at- 
tained world-wide distinction. A future president of the 
United States ' bore his musket with the rest. Thus, there 
was no respect of persons when the defence of common rights 
Avere undertaken. Upou this occasion it was agreed, that, 
in case of disturbance, the bells should be tolled by night 
and rung by day. Six persons were selected to hold them- 
selves in readiness to spread the alarm in the country towns. 

This ])usiness having been completed, JNIr. John Rowe 
Appeared, and informed the meeting that his ship had not 
yet arrived, but that he should use his utmost endeavors 
that the tea in her should go back as required by the assem- 
bly, and that he should give immediate advise of her arrival. 
Mr. Rowe had the satisfaction of learning that his answer 
was quite satisfactory to the meeting. 

By this time ISIr. Copley had returned. He had been 
obliged to go to the Castle, whence his apprehensive relatives 
had betaken themselves. " He hoped that if he had exceeded 
the time allowed him, they would consider the difficulty of a 
passage by water at this season, as his apology." 

, 1 John Adams. 



64 

"He then further acquainted the Body," the report con- 
tinues, "that he had seen all the consignees, and though he 
had convinced them that they might attend this meeting with 
safety, and had nsed his utmost endeavors to prevail upon 
them to give satisfaction to the Body ; they acquainted him, 
that believing nothing would be satisfactory short of re-ship- 
ping the tea, which Mas out of their power, they thought it 
best not to appear, but would renew their proposal of storing 
the tea, and submitting the same to the inspection of a com- 
mittee, and that they could go no further without incurring 
their own ruin ; but as they had not been active in introduc- 
ing the tea, they should do nothing to obstruct the people 
in their procedure with the same." 

The latter assurance was entirely unnecessary, as they had 
DO choice in the matter. They had previously thrown them- 
selves and their tea upon the protection of the Governor and 
Council, but had been repulsed by the latter, who contem- 
plated with alarm the prospect of becoming common ware- 
housemen for the East India Company and its consignees, 
in case they complied with the present rdquest. The answer 
of the consignees, communicated through Mr. Copley, was 
voted, "nem. con.,'^ to be "not in the least degree satisfac- 
tory." The following resolutions were then passed : — 

"Resolved, That if any i)erson or persons shall hereafter import tea 
from Great Britain, or shall take the same on board to be imi^orted to 
this place, until the said act,(referred to in a i^rior resolution) shall be 
repealed, he or they shall be deemed by this body an enemy to his 
country ; and we will prevent the landing and sale of the same, and the 
payment of any duty thereon. And we will eft'ect the return thereof to 
the place from whence it shall come. 

" Resolved, That the foregoing vote be printed and sent to England 
and all the seaports of this province." 

"Mr. Samuel Adams, Hon. John Hancock, Esq., William Phillips, 
Esq., John Rowe, Esq., Jonathan Williams, Esq.," were chosen a com- 
mittee to transmit fair coi)ies of the whole proceedings to New York 
and Philadelphia. 

The business of the meeting was concluded by the adop- 
tion of the followino; resolutions : — 



65 

" Voted, that it is the determination of this Body to carry their votes 
and resolutions into execution at the risk of their lives and property. 

" Voted, that the Committee of Correspondence for this town be de- 
sired to take care that every other vessel with tea that arrives in this 
harbour, have a proper watch appointed for her. 

"Voted, that our brethren in the country be desired to aflbrd their 
assistance upon the first notice given ; especially if such notice be given 
upon the arrival of Capt. Loring in Messieurs Clarke's Brigantiue." 

The meeting then dissolved. 

An account of the cuhiiination of the tea troubles will be 
found in the following chapter. 



VII. 

THE OLD SOUTH AND THE DESTRUCTION OF TEA. 

The revenue law allowed twenty clays after the arrival of 
a ship in which to effect the landing of its tea, at the expira- 
tion of which time the vessel and cargo were subject to 
seizure and confiscation. As the duty was payable upon the 
landing of the goods, all the eflbrts of the citizens were di- 
rected to preventing the tea being put on shore. The guard 
was maintained during the whole period of the ships' proba- 
tion, so that not a move on their part could pass undetected. 
But it was determined to exhaust every legal method to en- 
force the will of the people before resorting to violence. 
The next meeting in the Old South Church, therefore, did 
not assemble until the twenty days allowed the Dartmouth 
were almost spent. 

Meanwhile two other vessels laden with tea had arrived in 
Boston harbor, and, l)y direction of the Committee of Cor- 
respondence, who were now the virtual rulers of the cit}^ were 
moured in the vicinity of the Dartmouth, in order to obviate 
the necessity of greatly increasing the town-watch. This 
watch was uninterruptedly maintained, the cry, "All is well," 
salutinij the ears of wakeful townsmen at re2:ular intervals 
throughout the wintry nights. The government, also, pre- 
pared for a crisis, which, though none seemed to know 
exactly how, both parties saw was surely coming. The guns 
in the Castle were loaded, and two war-ships were stationed 
in the narrows to prevent the passage of any sea-bound craft 
improvided with a passport. 

The people were now full of resolution. They were re- 
minded through the press and by letters from other colonies, 
that the eyes of America were upon them, and that upon 
their wisdom and firmness largely depended the happiness 
of themselves and their posterity. The most cheering assur- 



07 

ances of approbation of the meetings of November 29th and 
30th were received from all quarters, and Boston was be- 
sought to act up to its resolutions. 

December came, and the time of action was near at hand. 
On the 14th the following hand-bill was posted in all parts 
of the town : — 

' ' FRIENDS ! BRETHREN ! COUNTRYMEN : 

"The perftdious arts of our restless enemies to render ineffectual the 
late resolutions of the body of the jjeopie, demand your assembling at 
the OLD SOUTH MEETING-HOUSE, precisely at ten o'clock TIHS 
DAY, at Avhich time the bells will ring." 

This notice brought together a great concourse of people. 
Not only were the citizens of Boston present, but also large 
delegations from the neighboring towns. The meeting was 
organized by the choice of Samuel P. Savage, "a gentleman 
of the town of Weston," moderator. 

A motion was at once made and passed, that Mr. Roth, 
owner of the ship Dartmouth, be desired to give his attend- 
ance. Mr. Roth appeared and was required at his peril to 
apply immediately to the Collector for a clearance for his 
ship. A committee was appointed to accompany him. Upon 
their return, Mr. Roth reported that the Collector desired an 
opportunity to consult with the Comptroller. The meeting, 
desiring to give their opponents every opportunity for ad- 
justment, voted to adjourn till Thursday the 16th at the 
same place. 

Thursday came, — a day, says Bancroft, by far the most 
momentous in the history of Boston. " Beware, little town," 
the historian continues : "count the cost, and know well, if 
you dare defy the wrath of Great Britain, and if you love 
exile and poverty and death rather than submission." ' 

The Collector and Comptroller had given an unequivocal 
and final refusal of clearances for the tea ships. The twen- 
tieth day of the Dartmouth's probation had arrived. She 
would soon be subject to seizure, when, as it was appre- 

1 mst. U. S. vol. VI. p. 484. 



68 

hendccl, her cargo would be landed under naval protection, 
and bloody work ensue. The people assembled according 
to adjournment in the Old South Church at ten o'clock. The 
following report is drawn chiefly from that printed in the 
Boston Gazette of December 27th.'" The committee who 
accompanied Mr. Roth when he made application for clear- 
ance reported the Collector's decision. There was yet one 
chance left for legal adjustment of the difficulty. — applica- 
tion to the Governor. Mr. Eoth was accordingly directed 
to apply immediately to his Excellency, and ask from him a 
passport for his ship. Hutchinson, apprehensive of some 
emergency in which he might be called upon to take decisive 
ground, had retired to IMilton, seven miles distant from the 
meeting. In order to give Mr. Eoth time to go thence and 
return, the body adjourned till three o'clock. 

At the appointed hour for reassembling there is said to 
have been in and around the Old South Church the largest 
gathering of the kind which had ever then been seen in Bos- 
ton. The record of the meeting is as follows : — 

" It was motioned and voted, that it is the sense of this Body that the 
use of tea is improper and pernicious. 

"Upon a motion made, Voted that it is the opinion of this Body, that 
it would be expedient for every town in this province to appoint com- 
mittees of inspection to pi-event this detestable tea from coming into 
any of our towns. 

" It was moved and the question jjut, Whether it is the sense and 
determination of this Body to abide by their former resolutions with 
respect to not suflering the tea to be landed, — which j^assed in the 
affirmative, ncm. con.'''' 

At this point, Mr. Roth not having returned, and the early 
darkness of a New England night having begun to enshroud 
the town, a motion to adjourn was made. It was doubtless 
proposed by somebody who did not dream of the plan which 
had been matured, and, like almost all the people, knew only 
that the landing was to be prevented — liorv they could not 
tell. All were content to leave details to the Committee of 

1 A characteristic account of Avhat transpired in Boston on tliis memorable day may 
be found in Thomas Carlyle's History of Fredcrich the Great, vol. VI., pp. 406-7. 



69 

Correspondence, upon whom they knew they could rely. 
Those present from the country hoped the motion would not 
prevail as the towns from which they came were " very anx- 
ious to have full information as to this matter." The most 
effective reason given against adjournment was that the body 
ought to carry out their professions according to Iheir resolves. 
It was agreed that the meeting should further await Mr. 
Koth's return. 

Meantime speeches were made by Samuel Adams, Thomas 
Young, William Rowe, and others. In the course of Mr. 
Howe's remarks he asked, "Who knows how tea will mingle 
with salt water ? " Whether many of his hearers understood 
the full significance of the query, or not, the idea was received 
with laughter and applause. Josiah Quincy, Jr., "that keen 
blade which so soon wore out the scabbard,"' now addressed 
his fellow townsmen. The reputation he had already at- 
tained bespoke what services he might have rendered to his 
country had he not died so young. ^ Bancroft calls him "a 
patriot of fervid feeling; passionately devoted to the liberty 
of his country ; still young ; his eye bright, his cheek glow- 
ing with hectic fever. He knew that his strength was 
ebbing. The work of vindicating American freedom must 
be done soon, or he will be no party to the great achieve- 
ment. He rises, but it is to restrain, and being truly brave 
and truly resolved, he speaks the language of moderation." 
Foreseeing the conflict which must ensue, he desired his coun- 
trymen to enter inio it deliberately, religiously. 

"Mr. Moderator," he said, "it is not the spirit that vapors within 
these walls that must stand us in stead. The exertions of this day will 
call forth events which will make a very different spirit necessary for 
our salvation. Whosoever supposes that shouts and hosannas will ter- 
minate the trials of the day entertains a childish fancy. We must be 
grossly ignorant of the importance and value of the prize for which we 
contend, Ave must be equallj' ignorant of the power of those who have 
combined against us ; we must be blind to that malice, inveteracy, and 
insatiable revenge, which actuate our enemies, public and private, 
abroad and in our bosom, to hope that we shall end this controversy 
1 Wendell Plullips. ' Died on his return from Europe, Apr. 2G, 1775. 



70 

without the sharpest conflict. Let us not deceive ourselves Avith the 
fancy that popular resolves, popular harangiies, jDopular acclamations, 
will vanish our foes. Let us consider the issue. Let us look to the end. 
Let us weigh and consider before we advance to those measures Avhich 
must bring on the most trying and terrible struggle this country ever 
saw." 

But there could lie no faltering now ; matters had gone too 
far to permit a backward step. Retreat meant the ridicule 
of foe and the reproach of friend. It was resolved that the 
tea should not be landed. 

It had now become quite dark. The church was Init dimly 
lio-hted. The shadows made still more impressive the pre- 
lude to what all felt to be the closing scene. If the Gov- 
ernor saw fit to yield, no trouble would ensue ; if not, few 
knew exactly what would be the consequence. It was 
almost six when JNIr. Roth returned. He reported that his 
Excellency deemed it his duty to refuse a pass until the ship 
should be properly qualified at the custom house. Thus was 
the last opportunity for concession lost. 

"Mr. Roth was then asked, whether he would send the 
vessel back wath the tea in her under her present circum- 
stances?" His answer was, that "he could not possibly 
comply, as he apprehended a compliance would prove his 
ruin."' Confusion ensued. Order was demanded, and the 
call Avas heeded. Dr. Young w^as good enough to say thi.t 
he believed that Mr. Roth^ Avas a good man, and that the 
peculiar embarrassment of his position should be consid- 
ered. He conjured the people to harm neither liis property 
nor his person. Samuel Adams noAV arose and said deliber 
ately, — "This meeting can do nothing more to save the 
country ! " On the instant the MohaAvk war-Avhoop sounded 
at the door, and Avas echoed in the galleries. Silence ^vas 
demanded, and the meeting preserved its order to the close. ^ 
The record concludes as foUoAVS : — 

" The Body haAdng manifested an exemplary patience and caution in 
the methods it had pursued to preserve the tea, the property of the East 

'■Boston Gazette, Dec. 27, 1773. 2 a Quaker. » Eichard Frothingham. Other 

.accounts say that the people rushed into the street as soon as the war-cry was heard. 



71 

India Company, without its being made saleable among us, (which, 
must have been fatal to the commonwealth), and to retui-n it safe and 
untouched to its pi'oprietors ; and perceiving that in every step towards 
this just and salutary purpose, they had been counterworked by the 
consignees of the tea and their coadjutors, who had plainly manifested 
their inclination of throwing the community into the most violent com- 
motions, rather than relinquish and give up the profits of a commission 
or contract, and the advantages they have imagined from the establish- 
ment of an American revenue ; and no one being able to point out 
anything further that was in the jjower of this Body to do for the salu- 
tary pui'pose aforesaid — It was moved and voted, that tliis meeting be 
immediately dissolved. And it was accordingly dissolved.'"^ 

The throng in the church immediately followed after the 
simulated Indians, who were running towards Griffin's (now 
Liverpool) wdiarf, near the foot of Pearl street. A strange 
sight it was upon which the moon looked down. Through 
the snow-clad streets of the quaint old city poured thousands 
of earnest men, led on by a small band of blanketed Indians. 
Arrived near where the tea ships lay, guards were quickly 
posted, and the momentous work began. The Indians 
Avcre joined by others, and the ships w^ere boarded. The 
chests were brought on deck, broken open, and their con- 
tents emptied into the waters of the bay. For several hours 
the operations were intently watched by citizens on the shore, 
soldiers in the Castle, and sailors on the war-ships. As 
strange as it now seems, no resistance svas encountered ; 
and we are left to conjecture to account for the fact that all 
the King's forces made not a single effort. Perhaps the au- 
thorites were only too glad to be relieved of the responsi- 
bility, even in such a way as this. 

So quietly was the work conducted, that the noise of the 
knives as they cut the tea-chests open could be distinctly 
heard at a considerable remove. No man was touched, no 
other property destroyed, no tea purloined. The town, said 
John Adams, was never more still of a Saturday night than 
it was at ten o'clock on that memorable evening. 

The importance of this event can scarce be estimated. It 

1 Boston Gazette. 



72 

was the Rubicon of American independence. Samuel Adams 
declared that in the passage of the penal laws which the tea 
riot inspired, "the ministry could not have devised a more 
effectual measure to unite the colonies." "While this last 
bold act of Boston thrilled the hearts of all the colonists 
with joy, it laid upon them a tremendous burden, and aroused 
against them all the animosity of a tyrant ministry and all 
the resources of a mighty kingdom. Yet they were not dis- 
mayed by their surroundings. A fortnight after the destruc- 
tion of the tea Samuel Adams wrote to Arthur Lee : " You 
cannot imagine the height of joy that sparkles in the eyes 
and animates the countenances as well as the hearts of all 
we meet on this occasion." The people knew what they had 
done, and rejoiced in any trials that their course might l)ring 
upon them. As John Adams said, "they had passed the 

KIVEE AND CUT AWAY THE BRIDGE." 



VIII. 

ANNIVERSARIES OF THE BOSTON MASSACRE AND 

OCCUPATION OF THE OLD SOUTH BY 

BRITISH CAVALRY. 

It is foreign to the purpose and beyond the scope of this 
little volume to detail the events which followed the destruc- 
tion of the tea in Boston Harbor. The act was one calcu- 
lated to arouse the animosity of the British ministry, and to 
bring into requisition all its resources. Lord North was 
resolved anew that he would not rest until he saw "America 
prostrate at his feet." Parliament hastened to pass several 
penal enactments, tending to the entire subversion of the 
chartered government of the province. The pitiless Post 
Bill w^as among these laws. The recital of the effects of its 
enforcement would alone make a chapter as sad as it was 
cruel. But even distress and poverty could not extinguish 
the flame of liberty, which burned brighter as the darkness 
thickened. The clouds gathered thick and fast. The storm 
was close at hand, and the people saw its coming undismayed. 
In January, 1775, Massachusetts w^as declared to be in a state 
of rebellion. In April Lexington and Concord opened the 
seven-years' drama, and in June Warren sealed his devotion 
with his blood. 

Meantime there had been unfailingly observed yearly cele- 
brations of the "Horrid Massacre." Year by year on the 
fifth of March the people gathered in the Old South Church, 
whose walls reverberated to the fearless oratory of Boston's 
sturdiest patriots. The presence of soldiers seemed only to 
increase the 'general earnestness. As the city filled up w^ith 
the troops of George HI, the tongues of the orators seemed 
to catch new fire. In the strength of a great cause and 
armed with fearless hearts, the people's leaders announced 
from the pulpit of the Old South Church principles which 



74 

the patriots loved, and which their enemies coidd not con- 
trovert. 

That the multiplication of regiments and war-ships failed 
to intimidate the leaders is amply shown hy the following 
outl)urst of John Hancock, indulged in the course of his ora- 
tion on March 5th, 1774 : — 

" Tell me ye bloody biitcliers! ye villians high ami low! ye wretches 
who contrived, as well as yoviwho execvited the inhuman deed! do you 
not feel the goads and stings of conscious guilt jiierce tlirough your sav- 
age bosoms ? Though some of you may think yourselves exalted to a 
height that bids defiance to the arms of human justice, and others shroud 
yourselves beneath the mask of hyjiocrisj', and build your hopes of 
safetj- on the low arts of cunning, chicanery, and falsehood ; yet do you 
not sometimes feel the gnawings of that worm that never dies ? " 

Pointing to INIonk, a shattered wreck which survived the 
Fifth of March, the orator continued : — 

"Unhappy Monk! thou dost not live in vain. Thou livest a warning 
to thy country, which symjjathizes with thee in thy sufferings. Thou 
livest an effecting, an alarming instance of the unbounded violence 
which lust of jiower, assisted by a standing army, can lead a traitor to 
commit." 

If in the assembly there were any members of the Twen- 
ty-ninth regulars, how words like these must have alarmed 
their cars : — 

"Ye dark designing knaves, ye murderers, parricides! how dare you 
tread ujion the eai-th, which has drunk in the blood of slaughtered in- 
nocents, shed by 3'our wicked hands? How dare you breathe that air 
Avhich wafted to the ear of heaven the groans of those who fell a sacri- 
fice to your accursed ambition? But if the laboring earth doth not ex- 
pand her jaws; if the air you breathe is not commissioned to be the 
minister of death ; yet hear it and tremble — The eye of heaven pene- 
trates the darkest chambers of the soul, traces the leading clue through 
all the labyrinths which your industrious folly has devised ; and you, 
however you have screened yourselves from human eyes, must be ar- 
raigned, must lift up your hands, red with the blood of those whose 
death you have procured, at the tremendous bar of Ood.'''' 

There were many passages of exalted eloquence m this 
oration of the merchant-patriot. The whole production was 
vigorous, elegant, brave. He discussed intelligently the is- 



75 

sues of the day, as well as flamed in wrath against the peo- 
ple's adversaries. The course Hancock had pursued, though 
very useful, was not such as to lead his contemporaries to 
credit him with eloquence. AVe are, therefore, not surprised 
to learn that his efl'ort upon this occasion exceeded the ex- 
pectation of his friends. It was simply a fresh illustration 
of how thorough convicti(m and mighty principle can lift a 
man above himself. 

The anniversary orations of the period with which we are 
concerned were delivered by the following citizens;' 1771, 
James Lovell, A. M. ; 1773, Dr. Benjamin Church; 1774, 
Hon. John Hancock; 1772 and 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren. 
Mr. LovcU's oration was a short and scholarly performance ; 
whatever merits Dr. Church's efforts may have had, they 
were obscured by his subsequent apostacy ; INIr. Hancock's 
we have noticed : it now remains to consider those of Dr. 
Warren. By reason of the prominence of their author, and 
of his glorious adherance to their avowals, as well as by the 
occasion upon which the second was delivered, they claim a 
special interest. 

It was in his first oration that Warren announced the be- 
lief that it was the people's loyalty alone which preserved 
the British soldiers from destruction. "It was," said he, 
"royal George's livery that proved their shield, it was that 
which turned the pointed engines of destruction from their 
breasts." AVhen, by request of the town, this oration was 
published, Warren added the following note to the above 
passage : — 

" I have the strongest reason to believe that I have mentioned the 
only circumstance which saved the troops from destruction. It was 
then, and now is, the opinion of tliose who were best acquainted with 
the state of affairs at that time, that had twice that number of troops, 
belonging to any power at open war with us, been in this town, in the 
same exposed condition, scarce a man would have lived to have seen 
the morning light.'" 

' These orations (for the years 1771-1783 inclusive) were publisherl in a separate vol- 
ume by Wm. T. Clap of Boston. It is from the second edition of this worli, published 
in 1S07, that we quote. 



76 

He advanced a calm, logical, but earnest protest against 
the supreme authority of Parliament, and depicted the evils 
of a standing army in times of peace. He traced the rise 
and growth of the idea of government, and announced the 
chartered rights of the colonists. Dignified and earnest, his 
oration did not close without spirit and enthusiasm. After 
depicting the glories of freedom and the hardships endured 
by the fathers to transmit it to their children, he exclaimed : — 

" The voice of your fathers' blood cries to j^ou from the gi'ound : ' My 
sons, scorn to be slaves! In vain we met the frowns of tyrants; in 
vain we left our native land ; in vain we crossed the boisterous ocean, 
found a new woi-ld, and prepared it for the happy residence of Liberty ; 
in vain we toiled, in vain we fought, we bled in vain, if j'ou, our oflf- 
spring, want valor to repell the assaults of her invaders!'" 

This oration was listened to by an audience composed of 
both sexes ' and of all classes. The church was thronged 
with "a very respectable assembly,"^ which went away well 
pleased with the young doctor's patriotic sentiments. His 
effort was considered on all hands to have been worthy of the 
time and place. Hutchinson conceded to it that "fervor 
which is the most essential part of such compositions." Says 
Frothingham, his biographer: "Underlying the ornate style, 
the fervoi', and at times extravagant metaphor, there were 
frankness, clearness of thought, sincerity, strength of argu- 
ment, and, as has been seen in his early letter,' the ruling 
passion of his life, — a warm love of country. Behind the 
orator was the man." 

When Warren delivered his second oration the face of 
things had changed. Massachusetts was officially declared 
to be in a state of rebellion, and measures of offence and 
defence were being taken on both sides. Boston was full of 
troops. Lexington and Concord were but six weeks distant. 
Interference was feared on the part of the soldiers, and the 
committee hesitated as to whom it should select for orator. 
Threats had been made that the massacre should not be de- 
claimed against with impunity, and that the man who should 

1 Boston News Letter. ' Boston Gazette. ' To Edmund Dana, Mar. 19, 17GG. 



77 

dare to speak with the freedom of former years should answer 
for his indiscretion with his life. In the face of these intim- 
idations, AYarren volunteered. He was actuated hy that 
lofty courage and genuine enthusiasm which shortly after- 
wards led him on to a glorious death. Doubtless he now 
felt, as, in a later burst of real enthusiasm, he exclaimed : 
" Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.'''' 

The day came.. People attended not only from Boston but 
from the country round about. The streets were full. The 
Old South Church was again the center of interest and 
expectancy. At the appointed hour the house was full to 
overflowiuir. In seats elevated above the conOTef^ation sat 
the selectmen, the town clerk, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, 
and Benjamin Church. About forty British officers, in bril- 
liant uniforms, occupied the front pews and the pulpit stairs. 
The pulpit was draped in black : within it was seen the hand- 
some f;ice of Joseph AYarren. Owing to the crowd which 
would have made access to the pulpit difficult from the church 
door, he had ascended a ladder and o-ained entrance throuofh 
a window. There he sat, the picture of exalted purpose and 
manly resolution. Edward Everett said of him, that "he 
united the graces of manly beauty to a lion heart, a sound 
mind, a safe judgment, and a firmness of purpose which 
nothing could shake." "A patriot, in whom the flush of 
youth and the grace and dignity of manhood were combined, 
stood armed in the sanctuary of God to animate and encour- 
age the sons of liberty, and to hurl defiance at their 
oppressors." ' 

Before he rose to speak a solemn stillness brooded over 
the assembly. "Each man felt the palpitations of his own 
heart, and saw the pale but determined face of his neighbor."* 
Not in the least intimidated by the character of a portion of 
his audience, Warren proceeded to speak with that sincerity 
and boldness which characterized all his utterances, deliver- 
ing what a British officer termed " a most seditious inflam- 
matory harangue." 

'Knapp'S Biographical Sketches. ' Magoon's " Orators of the American Revohition." 



78 

At the outset he announced the prhiciple that "no man, or 
body of men, can, without being guilty of flagrant injus- 
tice, claim a right to dispose of the persons or acquisitions 
of any other man, or body of men, unless it can be proved 
that such a right has arisen from some compact betAveen the 
parties in which it has been expressly and freely granted." 
He then took a retrospective view of the settlement of the 
country and its early struggles, in order to determine "with 
what degree of justice the late Parliament of Great Britain 
have assumed the power of giving away that property which 
the Americans have earned with their labor." Having, by 
their own hardihood alone, gained a home in the new world, 
they yet saw fit to ask from King James a grant of the lands 
they occupied. This was done to silence the cavils of ene- 
mies, for "certain it is," as Warren said, "he might with 
equal propriety and justice, have made them a grant of the 
planet Jupiter." They then purchased the land from the 
Indians, precisely as if there Avere no such place as England 
and no such Kins: J^s James. So long as New England was 
poor, and so long as her settlers gained a scant subsistence 
by unending toil and tireless vigilance alone, she was ignored 
by England. 

" But when, at an infinite expense of toil and blood, this widely ex- 
tended continent had been cultivated and defended : when the hardy ad- 
venturers justly expected that they and their descendants should peace- 
ably have enjoyed the harvest of those fields which they had sown, and 
the fruit of those vineyards which they had planted ; this country was 
then thought worthy the attention of the British ministry .... 
By an intercourse of friendly offices, the two countries became so 
united in affection, that they thought not of any distinct or separate 
interests ; they found both countries flourishing and happy 

"These pleasing connections might have continued; these delight- 
some prospects might have been every day extended ; and even the 
reveries of the wai-mest imagination might have been realized: but 
unhappily for us, unhappily for Britain, the madness of an avaricious 
minister of state, has drawn a sable curtain over the charming scene, 
and in its stead, has brought upon the stage, discord, envy, hatred, and 
revenge, with civil war close in their rear." 

The orator then proceeded to consider the reasons for this 



79 

change. He discussed the question of taxation without rep- 
resentation, and dwelt upon the wrongs of the colonists at 
the hands of Britain. This led up to the contemplation of 
the Boston Massacre, the horrors of which he painted in the 
boldest colors. "Stronger language could not have been 
used, if no threats had been uttered, or no English officer 
been present." ' Having depicted the scenes of the Fifth of 
March, he exclaimed : — 

" We wildly stare about, and with amazement ask, who spread this 
ruin round us? What wretch has dared to deface the image of his 
God.'' Has haughty France, or cruel Spain, sent forth her myrmidons? 
Has the grim savage rushed again from the far distant wilderness? Or 
does some fiend, fierce from the depths of hell, with all the rancorous 
malace which the apostate damned can feel, twang her destructive 
bow, and hui-1 her deadly arrows at our breasts? — No : none of these ; 
but — how astonishing! — it is the hand of Britain that inflicts the 
wound. The arms of George our rightful king, have been emploj-ed 
to shed that blood, when justice, or the honor of his crown, had called 
his subjects to the field." 

After referring to the withdrawal of the troops and the 
fresh indignities heaped upon the colonists, the orator con- 
tinued : — 

" Our streets are again filled with armed men ; our harbor is crowded 
with ships of war. But these cannot intimidate us. Our liberty must 

be preserved The man who meanly will submit to wear a 

shackle, contemns the noblest gift of heaven, and impiously affronts 
the God that made him free." 

On the subject of standing armies in populous cities in 
times of peace, the boldest patriot could have desired no 
stronger language. Contemplating forcible contention with 
Great Britain, and fearless of the officers who sat near him, 
Warren said : — 

" Her arms, it is true, have filled the world with terror: her troops 
have reaped the laurels of the field : her fleets have rode triumphant 
on the sea. — But when, or where, did you, my countrymen, depart 
inglorious from the field of fight? You, too, can show the trophies of 
your forefathers' victories and your own ; can name the fortresses and 
V ' Tudor's Life of .James Otis. 



80 

battles jou have won ; and many of yon can count the honorable scars 
and wounds you have received, whilst fighting for your king and 
country. Where justice is the standard, heaven is the warriors shield ; 
but conscious gilt unnerves the ai-m that lifts the sword against the 
innocent." 

He still hoiked for peace. "Our wish is," said he, "that 
Britain and the colonies, may, like the oak and the ivy, 
ijrow and increase in stren<i^tli toii^ether." He declared that 
reconciliation might still be gained by wise and honest 
measures. 

"But if these pacific measures are ineffectual, and it appears that 
the only way to safety is through fields of blood, I know you will not 
turn your faces from your foes, but will undauntedly press forward, 
until tyranny is trodden under foot 

"Having redeemed your country, and secured the blessing of future 
generations, Avho, fired by your examj^le, shall emulate your virtues, 
and learn from you the heavenly art of making millions happy; with 
heart- felt joy, with transjjorts all your own, you cry. The glorious work 
is done!" 

Thus the oration closed. Warren's glorious work was 
almost done. 

Until the close of the oration the officers are said to have 
observed a generally correct deportment, although they were 
guilty of occasionally laughing, hemming, and coughing, in 
order to disconcert the speaker. "It was imagined," wrote 
a British officer, "that there would have been a riot, which, 
if there had, would in all probability have proved fatal to 
Hancock, Adams, Warren, and the rest of those villains, as 
they were all up in the pulpit together, and the meeting was 
crowded with officers and seaman in such a manner that they 
could not have escaped. However it luckily did not turn 
out so ; it would indeed have been a pity for them to have 
made their exit in that way, as I hope we shall have the 
pleasure before long of seeing them do it by the hands of 
the hangman." It is probable, however, that tlie result of 
a disturbance would have been quite difierent from that con- 
templated by the royalists. The patriots anticiijated trouble 
and went prepared to punish those who should inaugurate 



81 

it. Samuel Adams wrote to 11. H. Lee shortly afterwards : 
"I am persuaded, were it not for the danger of precipitating 
a crisis, not a man of them would have been spared." 

The officers were not only seated in the pews and on the 
pulpit stairs, but, according to some authorities, several of 
them were within the sacred desk itself. After one of the 
orator's boldest utterances, an officer of the Welsh Fusileers, 
who was seated at Warren's feet, held up several pistol- 
bullets in his open palm. Not at all disconcerted, the speaker 
quickly dropped a handkerchief over them. After the close 
of the oration, the meeting, which w^as an adjournment of 
a town meeting, proceeded to transact some business. It 
was then that the officers displayed their insolence, putting 
on their hats, making nominations, and voting against the 
unanimous expressions of the town.' The Forty-seventh 
regiment, returning from parade, passed by the Old South : 
to confuse the meeting, the commander caused the drums to 
beat. It was moved that a vote of thanks be tendered to 
the orator, and that he be desired to furnish a copy of his 
speech for publication. Upon this the officers struck their 
canes upon the floor, made insolent noises, and some of them 
exclaimed, "Fie I fie ! " This was misinterpreted by the au- 
dience to be a cry of fire, and a panic ensued. William- 
Cooper, the venerable town clerk, and Samuel Adams called 
loudly for order, and quiet Avas restored. The congregation 
then dispersed, having participated in exercises which added 
a new laurel to the " Sanctuary of Freedom." The oration 
of the next year was delivered in Watertown, the Old South 
diurch being in the possession of British cavalry. 

OCCUPATION OF THE CHURCH BY BRITISH CAVALRY. 

The winter of 1775-6 was a hard one for Boston. Be- 
sieged by Washington's army, it w^as cut off from all 
resources save such as might come by sea. Ten thousand 
soldiers were quartered on its scanty store, and were in 

1 See Frothingham's Warren, 437-8, note. 
6 



82 

actual distress for want of shelter, food and fuel. The in- 
habitants, dependent upon themselves alone, had to bear, 
vicariously, as it were, the misfortunes of the soldiers. So 
lawless was the disposition of the troops that Sir William 
Howe, who had superceded General Gage, was obliged to 
resort to the severest measures of correction. Some offenders 
were hung, some lashed : the sentence of a guilty wife of a 
pirate was, that she should receive "one hundred lashes on 
her bare back, with a cat-o'-uine-tails, at the cart's tail in 
different portions of the most conspicuous parts of the town, 
and to be imprisoned three months." ' 

The approach of a winter of unusual severity made it 
necessary to procure warmer quarters for the soldiers than 
tents afforded. The Brattle Street and Hollis Street churches 
were converted into barracks, the Lynd Street Church was 
occupied as a hospital, and the Old South Church, at the 
solicitation of Burgoyne, was transformed into a riding-school 
for cavalry. It was Burgoyne's own regiment, the Queen's 
Light Dragoon's, that pursued their exercises in the house 
of God. When, in 18G5, the slab bearing the inscriptions 
copied on page 20 was about to be put in place, there was 
some objection to the word "desecrated." This view was 
supported by the fact, that, in the history of modern warfare, 
instances in which the occupancy of churches by troops has 
been found necessary, are frequent. But in the case of the 
Old South Church, it is claimed, there is evidence of unusual 
wantonness and malice. Its record, certainly, was calcu- 
lated to arouse any vindictiveness which there might have 
been. The pews were all removed, the pulpit was demol- 
ished, and a portion of the galleries was torn away. Sev- 
eral feet of dirt and gravel Avere spread upon the floor, the 
southern door was closed, and a Icaping-bar, over which the 
horses vaulted, was erected near the southern Avail. The 
eastern gallery Avas reserA-^cd for officers and ladies, Avhosc 
spiritual Avants Averc satisfied by a bar-room in the rear. The 

1 For receiving stolen goods. 



83 

gallery above was open to the common soldiers, who, with 
their superiors below, daily congregated to witness feats of 
horsemanship. Such was the spectacle presented to those 
who had known and loved the Old South Church as the altar 
of their faith and the sanctuary of their freedom ! But " the 
horse and his rider have perished, while the temple they pro- 
faned still stands, and the flag they hated still waves on high. 
Sic semper tyrannisP''^ 

Amono' the " Recollections of a Bostonian " there is the 
following account of a ludicrous incident which took place 
during the church's occupancy by the British : — 

"A good old woman who frequently passed the church was in the 
habit of stopping at the door, and with loud lamentations, amidst the 
hooting of the soldiery, bewailed the desolation of the house of prayer. 
She denounced on them the vengeance of Heaven, and assured them 
that good Doctor Sewall would rise from his grave and carry them off. A 
Scotch sentinel was one night alarmed by an appearance of what he 
thought was an apparitton of the Doctor. He screamed most violently 
and alarmed the guard of grenadiers, who were always stationed at 
the Province House, ^ then occupied by General Howe. There was no 
pacifying him, until some one asked how the Doctor was dressed, and 
he answered, with a large wig and gown. One of the inhabitants, who 
had been drawn there from curiosity, assured him it could not have 
been Dr. Sewall, because he never wore a wig, which restored the poor 
fellow to his senses. It was generally supposed to be a trick of one 
of the English soldiers, who wished to frighten a superstitious Scotch- 
man, and for that purpose had dressed himself in the clerical habit of 
■the Rev. Mr. Cooke, of Menotomy, which he had plundered on his re- 
treat at the battle of Lexington." 

This occurrence is said to have made it difficult to maintain 
a night-guard at the church door, as was customary. There 
were among the regulars many Scotch Presbyterians, who 
almost expected nothing lietter than retributive justice for 
the abuses to which the holy place was put. 

In a note to his second sermon on the History of the Old 
South Church, Dr. Wisner advances evidence of the wanton 
manner in which, during the Revolution, the British Army 
manifested its hostility to all churches not Episcopalian. 

1 Speech of Rev. J. M. Manning, May 1, 18G1. ^ Nearly opposite. 



84 

They " destroyed the steeple of the West Church because 
they supposed it had been used as a signal staff." Of the 
nineteen places of worship in New York cit}-, when the war 
began, there were but nine fit for use when the British left 
it. Boston, Newport, Philadelphia, and Charleston all suf- 
fered in this particular." ' 

The demolition of such structures and j^arts of structures, 
however, as were valuable for fuel, cannot justly be charged 
to a spirit of wantonness or revenge. The necessity was 
extreme, and General Howe exerted every power to govern 
its suppl}^ without needless destruction. The following order 
shows that he was in earnest in his desire to spare the town 
all needless harm. The soldiers, scantily provided, and in 
spite of rigid regulations, demolished houses and fences, 
without, in some instances, waiting for the proper orders. 
December Sth General Howe directed " the provost to go his 
rounds, attended by the executioner, with orders to hang 
up on the spot the first man he should detect in the fact, 
without waiting for further proof for trial." A regular sys- 
tem was adopted, the most worthless houses being first 
selected for destruction. Richard Frothingham, in his val- 
uable "History of the Siege of Boston," presents a just and 
impartial picture of the state of things at this period, and 
does not fail to give credit where it seems to be deserved.* 
He says that supplies having been long awaited, and none 
having arrived, on the 14th an order issued that the Old 
North Church and one hundred old wooden houses should be 
demolished. This is strongly contrasted to the records of 
that church, quoted by Dr. Wisner, which allege that this 
work was done " although there were then large quantities of 
coal and wood in the town." 

The pews, pulpit, galleries, and other portions of the in- 
terior of the Old South Church went to feed the British fires. 
"The beautiful carved pew of Deacon Hubbard, with the 
silken hangings, was taken down and carried to 's house 

1 Note 47. ^ See pages 279-282. 



85 

by an officer and made a hog-stye." The parsonage, the 
ancient residence of Winthrop the first Governor of the 
province, which stood opposite the foot of 6chool street, was 
destroyed and used for fuel. " So tlie roof that sheltered 
Winthrop went to light the mess-fires of his Majesty's troops, 
or to diffuse warmpth through the apartments of Gage or 
Howe in the Province House.'" The beautiful row of but- 
tonwood trees that skirted the* line of Marlborough street 
shared the same fate. The stove in the riding-school is said 
to have been supplied with valuable books and pamphlets 
from the library of Mr. Prince, which was then deposited 
in the tower of the church. For such destruction, even the 
rigors of a New England winter can furnish no excuse. 

" The Old North Chapel, built in 1677, which was in good repair and 
might have stood many j'ears, was jjulled down for fuel. The steeple 
of the West Church, built of large timber, was also taken down, and 
afforded no small supj^ly. Many trees were cut down on the common, 
and in other places. The celebrated Liberty Tree furnished fourteen 
cords of wood." 2 

In March, 1776, the siege of Boston ended, and with it 
the occupancy of the Old South Church. The theatre of 
war was soon shifted to the south, and thenceforth Boston 
did not know the presence of a foe. The Old South Meet- 
ing-House had won an exalted place in history. It. still 
stands, a relic of those early days, rearing heavenward the 
same steeple from which the wives of Boston watched the 
fight on Bunker Hill, and surrounded by the same walls which 
echoed the eloquence of heroes. Shall it not remain? Have 
we grown so base as to desecrate the sanctuary of out 
freedom ? 

> S. A. Drake's Landmarks of Boston. " History of the Siege of Boston. 



IX. 

LATTER DAYS. 

DuEiNG the occupancy of Boston by the British forces the 
Old South cono-reffatiou were scattered in various quarters. 
After the evacuation of the city they returned to find the 
temple of their fathers desecrated and unfit for occupation. 
Kings Chapel afl^brded them accommodation till the year 
1782, when, having repaired and refitted the Old South 
Meeting-House, they resumed the occupancy of that building. 
Since the Revolution there have been but six pastors of the 
Old South Church, whose names are included in the follow- 
ing complete list of ministers who have filled that pulpit 
from its foundation to the present time. 

Thomas Thatcher, settled Feb. 16, 1670. Died Oct. 15, 1678. 

.Samuel Willard, " Apr. 10, 1678. " Sep. 12, 1707. 

Ebenezer Pemberton, " Aug. 28, 1700. " Feb. 13, 1717. 

Joseph Sewall, D.D., " Sep. 16, 1713. " Juii. 27, 1769. 

Thomas Prince, " Oct. 1, 1718. " Oct. 22, 1758. 

Alexander Gumming, " Feb. 25, 1761. " Aug. 25, 1763. 

Samuel Blair, D.D., " Nov. 19, 1766. Resigned Oct. 10, 1769- 

John Bacon, " Sep. 25, 1771. " Feb. 8, 1775. 

John Hunt, " Sep. 25, 1771. Died Dec. 20, 1775. 

Joseph Eckley, D.D., " Oct. 27, 1779. " Apr. 30, 1811. 

Joseph Huntington, " May 18, 1803. " Sep. 11, 1819. 

B. B. Wisner, D.D., " Feb. 21, 1821. Resigned Nov. 12, 1832. 

Saml H. Stearns, " Apr. 16, 1834. " Mar. 8, 1836. 

Geo. W. Blagden, D.D., " Sep. 28, 1836. Retired ; 

Jos. M. Manning, " Mar. 11, 1857. Present Pastor. 

In length of service and devotion to his Avork the last but 
one of these divines ranks with Sewall and Prince. Just 
forty years ago Dr. Blagden was installed pastor of this 
people. He still lives, though, by reason of advanced age, 
he is no longer engaged in active service. Upon the twenty- 
fifth anniversary of his settlement, the event Avas fittingly 
celebrated. The following clay being Sunday, Dr. Blagden 



87 

preached an appropriate sermon in which he said, that up to 
that time he had preached eleven hundred and nineteen ser- 
mons, fully written, and very many others from short notes. 
During the quarter century, he had, as pastor of the Old 
South church, officiated at four hundred and ten funerals and 
three hundred and eighty-four marriages. 

When the War of the Rebellion broke upon the land the 
Old South Meeting-House was true to its longtime devotion 
to the principle of Union. In May, 1861, from its tower 
Avas. unfurled, in the presence of crowds which filled the 
adjacent streets, the stars and stripes. None took more 
pains, upon that occasion, to recall the national memories of 
the place and to praise its public record, than some who have 
since denied its right to be. It was then declared that the 
associations of the place bestowed " an influence which no 
other riches can supply" ; and the fact was recognized, that, 
as one of Boston's orators has said, "there is to this edifice 
not only a natural body, but a spiritual body, — the immor- 
tal soul of independence." 

The Old South Church had escaped the fates of war, and 
had been saved from out of the midst of a great calamity 
which came to its very door, when its life was threatened by 
its friends. After the great ihe of 1872, unprecedented in 
the history of the city and with hardly an equal in the his- 
tory of the land, the Old South Meeting-House was desired 
for temporary occupancy as a post-office by the United States 
authorities. This proposition was accepted. A lot of land 
upon the " Back Bay " section of the city had been bought 
before the fire, and a parsonage and chapel had already been 
in part, at least, constructed. The building committee were 
now instructed to procure plans and estimates for a new 
church to be erected in addition. 

It was necessary to petition the legislature for leave to lease 
or sell. These steps, which, plainly, were merely prelimi- 
nary to the final al)and()nment and destruction of the build- 
ing, were vigorously resisted by an intelligent and numerous 



minority, who claimed that micler a proper construction of 
Madam Norton's will the property could not be used for any 
other purpose than that of religious exercises by the succes- 
sors of the orio^inal donees. But leave to lease was wanted, 
and the United States entered upon an occupancy which con- 
tinued for about two years. 

A year later the society voted to petition the General 
Court for a removal of all restrictions or disabilities upcn 
the sale of the old meeting-house. When the matter came 
before the Senate a vigorous debate ensued. An act was 
passed (Chap. 120, 1874,) directing that the right of alienat- 
ing the property should be determined by the Supreme Court 
in equity, and requiring its sanction to any proposition to 
sell the land or building. Accordingly, in the fdl of 1874, 
the court was petitioned for leave to sell. Long and costly 
litigation followed. The minority simply asked that they 
might retain the meeting-house, while their more ambitious 
brethren should be allowed to worship where they chose. 
The church fund, grown to an enormous aggregate, was amply 
sufficient without the proceeds of a sale of the old church 
grounds. But leave to sell Avas granted, and the majority — 
a bare majority — were left to do with it as they pleased.' 

This result was not accomplished until the spring of 1876. 
The church was speedily advertised for sale. Meantime, 
protests came from far and near ; and it l)egan to be apparent 
that the interest in the building extended from Maine to 
California. But there was no organization, no leader ; and 
on the 8th of June the old meeting-honse was sold like 
cattle in the shambles. The auctioneer seemed justified in 
the remark, that " the heart had been willing but the purse 
had been weak." The hammer fell, and the building was 
sold for $1,350, to be removed within sixty days. 

The work of destruction at once commenced. The clock 
had been taken from the tower, and the solid masonry had 
been attacked, when one of Boston's most active merchants 

' For the case of Old South Societj' vs. Uriel Crocker and others, and that of Attorney 
General vs. Old South Society, Bee 119 Mass. 1-28. 



89 

filled the breach. All had seemed hopeless. The commun- 
ity, though profoundly, moved, seemed dazed at what was 
behig done, and protested without the power to save. At 
this crisis Geo. W. Simmons & Son stepped in and saved 
the building. On the 11th of June, the church tower bore 
the following words : — 

The Eleventh Hour! 
Men and Women of MASSACtrusEXTS ! 
Does Boston desire the humiliation which is to-day a part of her his- 
tory since she has allowed this memorial to be sold under the hammer? 

Shall the Old South be Saved? 
We have bought the right to hold this building uninjured for seven 
days, and will be conditionally responsible for raising the last $100,000 
to complete its purchase. 

G. W. Simmons & Son, Oak Hall, Boston. 

This timely act of the Messrs. Simmons was generally ap- 
plauded, and a smaller number of public prints than might 
have been expected attributed it to mercenary motives. The 
fact was very generally recognized, that, in this case at least, 
commendable promptness and business energy w^ere not 
inconsistent with disinterested public spirit. We know not 
what others migld have done ; we only know that the Messrs. 
Simmons acted when others were discouraged. Primarilv, 
the preservation of the building is owed to them. 

Desiring only to put the ball in motion, they were willino- 
to retire whenever others would relieve them. Accordiui^ly, 
Mr. Simmons, jun., undertook to call a public meeting. He 
enlisted the services of Charles W. Slack, Esq., editor of 
the CotnmonweaUh, who, though a very busy man, found 
time enough for such a matter. With but a short time for 
preparation, Mr. Slack immediately called upon several men 
of prominence to lend a helping hand. But it was not with- 
out difficulty that he succeeded in perfecting arrangements 
for the meeting. Among others, Wendell Phillips agreed to 
speak. 

MEETING OF JUNE 14tH, 1876. 

By dint of great activity, Mr. Slack succeeded in makin«- 
timely preparations for a monster meeting in the Old South 



90 

Church, which, in many particulars, ranks among the most 
remarkable ever held within its historic w\alls. When the 
doors were opened the waiting concourse quickly filled every 
available spot within. The ladies of Boston graced the 
meeting with their presence, and filled the galleries, which 
were reserved for their accommodation. The open space 
below, devoid of seats, was crowded with a representative 
Boston audience. When John T. Clark, the chairman of 
the meeting, accompanied by Wendell Phillips, Wm. II. H. 
Murray, Charles W. Slack, Curtis Guild, Edward S. Tobey 
and George W. Simmons, ascended the platform under the 
quaint old sounding-board, the walls echoed with the 
cheers of the assembly. Just one hundred and eight years 
ago, that day, the first great meeting assembled within those 
walls. Mr. Slack stated the object of the meeting, referred 
to some of the stirring events connected with its history, 
and stated the question of the hour to be whether this edifice, 
hallowed and sanctified and glorified, should no longer be 
known as one of the ancient landmarks of Boston. He was 
followed by John T. Clark, Chairman of the Board of Alder- 
men, who declared that the building did not stand in the way 
of public improvement. 

But the central event, for which all were eager with ex- 
pectancy, was the speech of Wendell Phillips, the " silver- 
tongued orator" of Massachusetts. Nor did he disappoint 
the anticipations of those who expected an effort Avorthy of 
his subject and himself. Many times had he astonished 
Boston audiences with the faultless symctry of his reasoning, 
the matchless beauty of his rhetoric, and the undiminished 
energy of his utterance : but never before had he delivered 
what, in many particulars, was more worthy to be called his 
masterpiece. The time, the place, the subject — all were 
calculated to draw forth his powers. The memories of the 
past crowded to his mind, and he spoke as if pleading for 
the life of one condemned unjustly. A writer in the Boston 
.Herald, whose account has been very widely quoted, wrote 
as follows : — 



91 

"We have heard Mr. Phillif)S perhaps a hundred times, upon many 
topics of jiublic interest, but we have never heai'd him until yesterday, 
when he so completely realized our ideal of the master of oratory. 
UlJon many occasions we have listened to Webster, Everett and Choate 
in the fulness of their great powers, by which they swept the chords of 
hope, desire or sympathy ; but we never heard, even from them, any- 
thing so rhetorically graceful or so jsrofoundly inspiring as this grand 
appeal of JMr. Phillips to the citizens of Boston." 

We regret that it is impracticable to present this speech in 
full ; hut such a course Avould hardly comport with the gen- 
eral character of our work. There are no reports of the 
speeches of the Revolutionary period which were delivered 
in the old church walls : they expired with the occasions 
which gave them birth. That wealth of sentiment and 
w^orld of eloquence to which these precincts have resounded 
have been preserved only in the memories of those who 
heard them. And, after all, such an effort as that of Mr. 
Phillips must be heard in order to be appreciated. It is no 
more in the power of type or pen to reproduce its flavor, 
than it is for the naturalist to confine the rose's perfume be- 
tween the covers of a book. And when reproduced, it is 
but the semblance of the thing ; the essence is not there. 
Not only the words are necessary, but the man who uttered 
them. Moreover, the occasion, the time, the place, the 
people — all are indispensable elements of the real eloquence 
of the efibrt. The mantle of the Revolution seemed to have 
fallen upon the speaker, and he appeared to be the natural 
successor of Samuel Adams — like him, bold, honest, earn- 
est, patriotic. None of these accompaniments can be put 
on paper.' Having risen from his chair, he advanced upon 
the platform. Every voice was hushed. In a low but pe- 
culiarly impressive tone he said : " Why are we here to-day ?" 
The eflfect of this simple question was almost magical. The 
attention of every mind was at once arrested. The audience 
began to feel the spell of his wonderful eloquence. 

1 The speech stenograplucally reported, and as corrected and edited by Mr. Phillips 
himself, was published in the Golden Rule of June 21, 1876, and in pamphlet form by 
the Preservation Committee. 



92 

111 opening, the orator referred to what had been accom- 
plished in America during the first century of the existence 
of the Union. 

"We have," said he, " actually founded a Republic on the unlimited 
suffrage of the millions. We have actually worked out the problem 
that man, as God created him, may be trusted Avith self-government. 
We have shown the world that a Church without a Bishop, and a State 

without a King, is an actual, real, every day possibly 

" With how much pride, with what a thrill, with what tender and 
loyal reverence may we not hunt up and cherish and guard from change 
or desecration the sjiot where this marvellous enterprise began — the 
roof under which its first councils were held — where the air still 
trembles and burns with Otis and Sam Adams ? 

Excejit the Holy City, is there any moi-e memorable or sacred place 
on the face of the earth than the cradle of such a change? Athens has 
her Acropolis, but the Greek can point to no such immediate and dis- 
tinct results. Her influence passes into the web and woof of history, 
mixed with a score of other elements, and it needs a keen eye to follow 
it. London has her Palace and Tower and her St. Stephen's Chapel, 
but the human race owes her no such memories. France has spots 
marked by the sublimest devotion, but the pilgrimage and the Mecca 
of the man who believes and hopes for the human race is not to Paris, 
it is to the seabord cities of the great Republic. 

'* Go ask the Londoner, crowded into small space, what number of 
pounds laid down on a square foot, what necessities of business, would 
induce him to pulldown the Tower and build a counting-house on its site 
Go ask Paris what they will take from some business corporation for the 
spot where Mlrabeau and Danton, or later down Laraartine saved the 
great flag of the tri-color from being drenched in the blood of their fellow 
citizens. 

"What makes Boston a history? Not so many men, not so much 
commerce. It is ideas. You might as well plough it with salt and remove 
bodily into the more healthy elevation of Brookline or Dorchester, but for 
State Street, Faneuil Hall, and the Old South. 

"What does Boston mean ? Since 1 C30, the living fibre, running through 
history, which owns that name, means jealousy of power, unfettered speech, 
keen sense of justice, readiness to champion any good cause; that is the 
Boston Laud suspected, North hated and the negro loved. If you 
destroy the scenes which perpetuate that Boston, then re-baptize her Cot- 
tonville or Shoetown. 

" The British Parliament chose Boston as the first and prominent 
object of its wrath. It was on the men of Boston that Lord North visited 



93 

his revenge. Tt -was our port which was to be stopped and its commerce 
annihilated. It was Sam Adams and John Hancock who enjoy the ever- 
lasting reward of being the only names excepted from the royal proclama- 
tion of forgiveness. 

" Here, Sam Adams, the ablest and ripest statesman God gave to the 
epoch, forecast those measures which welded thirteen colonies into one 
thunderbolt, and launched it at George the Third. Here Otis mag- 
netized every boy into a desperate rebel. Here the fit successors of Knox 
and Hugh Peters consecrated their pulpits to the defence of that doctrine 
of the freedom and sacredness of man, which th3 State borrowed so di- 
rectly from the Christian Church. The towers of the North Church 
rallied the farmers to the Lexington and Concord fights, and these old 
walls echoed the people's shout, when Adams brought them word that 
Governor Hutchinson surrendered and withdrew the red-coats. Lingering 
here still are the echoes of those clashing sabres and jingling spurs, that 
dreamt Warren could be awed to silence. Otis' blood immortalizes 
State Street, just below where Attucks fell, our first martyr, and just 
above where zealous patriots made a teapot of the harbor. 

" It was a petty town, of some twenty thousand inhabitants, but 'the 
rays of royal indignation collected upon it, served only to illuminate and 
could not consume.' Almost every one of its houses had a legend. Every 
public building hid what was treasonable debate, or bore bullet marks or 
bloodshed — evidence of royal displeasure. It takes a stout heart to step 
out of a crowd, and risk the chances of support — when failure is death. The 
strongest, proudest, most obdurate race and kingdom on one fide — a petty 
town, the assailant. Its weapons, ideas — its trust, God and the right. 
Its old-fashioned men, patiently arguing with cannon and regiments, — 
blood, the seal of the debate, — and every stone, and wall, and roof, and 
doorway, witness forever of the angry tyrant and sturdy victim. 

" You spend half a million for a school-house — what school so eloquent 
as these walls to educate citizens? Napoleon turned his Simplon road 
aside to save a tree Cassar had once mentioned. Won't j-ou turn a street or 
spare a quarter of an acre to remind boys what sort of men their fathers 
were? .... 

" You spend $40,000 here, and $20,000 there, to put up a statue cf 
some old hero; you want your son to gaze en the nearest approach to the 
features of those 'dead but sceptre sovereigns, who still rule our spirits 
from their urns. ' But what is a statue of Cicero compared to standing where 
your voice echoes from pillar and wall that actually heard his Phillip- 
pics? How much better than a picture of John Brown is a sight of that 
Blue Ridge which filled his eye when riding to the scaffold he said calmly 
to his jailer, 'This is a beautiful country: I never noticed it before.' De- 
stroy every portrait of Luther if you must, but save that terrible chamber 
where he fought with the devil and translated the Bible. Scholars have 



94 

grown old and blind striving to put their hands on the very spot where 
bold men spoke, or brave men died. Shall we tear in pieces the roof that 
actually trembled to the words which made us a nation? .... 
Let these walls stand, if only to remind us that in those days Adams and 
Otis, advocates of the newest and extremest liberty, found their sturdiest 
allies in the pulpit; — that our Revolution was so much a crusade that the 
Church led the van. 

" Summon it again, ye venerable walls, to its true place in the world's 
toil for good. Give us Mayhews and Coopers again, — and let the children 
of the Pilgrims show that religious conviction, veneration for the ' great of 
old,' and a stern purpose that our flag shall everywhere and always mean 
justice, are a threefold cord holding this nation together never to be 
broken. 

"We have a great future before us. How grand, human forecast cannot 
measure. Yes, a great future, endangered by many and grave perils; our 
way out of these faith believes in, but mortal eye cannot see. It is 
wisdom to summon every ally, to save every possible help. Educatethc 
people to noble purposes. Lift them to the level of the highest motive. 
Enforce by every possible appeal the influence of the finest elements of 
our nature. Let the great ideas, self-respect, freedom, justice, self- 
sacrifice, help each man to tread the body under his feet. This worship 
of great memories, noble deeds, sacred places — the poetry of history — is 
one of the keenest ripeners of such elements. Seize greedily on every 
chance to save and emphasize them. 

"Give me a people freshly and tenderly alive to such influences, and I 
will laugh at money-rings or demagogues armed with sensual temptations. 
Men marvelled at the uprising which hurled slavery to the dust. It 
was young men who dreamed dreams over patriot graves — enthusiasts 
wrapped in memories. Marble, gold, and granite are not real. The only 
actual reality is an idea. 

" The influence of these old walls will prevent men, if anything can, 
from becoming the tools of corruption or tyranny. ' Remember every day 
one good thought — read one fine line,' says the German Shakespeare. 
Yes, let every man's daily walk catch one ray of golden light, and his 
pulse throb once each day nobly as he passes these walls. No gold, no 
greed can canker the heart of such a people; once in their hands, neither 
need, greed, nor the clamor for wider streets, will ever desecrate what 
Adams and Warren and Otis made sacred to the liberties of man." 

Thus the oration ended — an effort which added a new lustre to 
Phillips's name and si:)read wider 3'et the admiration of his elo- 
quence. As a whole it was one of the best, if not the very best, 
contribution he has ever made to American oratorj-. We regret 
the necessit}' of presenting it in a way so fragmentary and im- 
perfect. 



95 

la referring to the purposes to which the church ought to be 
devoted iu case of its preservation, Mr. Phillips urged the claims 
of the mechanics of Boston, for whom he thought it ought to be 
converted into a mechanics' exchange. For, said he, "it was the 
mecbanics of Boston that threw tea into the dock ; it was the 
mechanics of Boston that held up the hands of Sam Adams ; it 
was the mechanics of Boston, Paul Revere one of them, that 
made the Green Dragon immortal. . . .It was the 
message of the mechanics of Boston that Sam Adams carried to 
the Governor and to Congress — the}- sent him to Salem and to 
Philadelphia — they lifted and held him up till even purblind 
George III could distinguish his ablest opposcr and learned to 
hate with discrimination." 

The address of Rev. Wm. H. II. Murra}-, which followed that 
of Mr. Phillips, was so sensible, so earnest and so eloquent, that 
it well deserves to be quoted in full. The following is a portion 
of it :— 

"The great underlying question of the hour is this: Is this building 
worth preserving? Has it any claim upon the Boston public? Is there 
any reason why the Boston public, meeting together to value it, should 
say that if it is possible to save it it would be a gain to them, individually, 
and to the country, to buy it? 

" "Well, what is it that gives value to anything, gentlemen? There is 
no value to anything, material or spiritual, save as it affects man. Show 
me any creation of God, and the gauge-Une that measures its vahie is 
this: — Is the influence of this thing a healthy, educational, salutary, and 
sublime influence on man? . . . Whatever ministers to man 
■ is good, and worth preserving. But we all know that man has his low 
level, and his intermediate level, and he has his highest level also. You will 
agree with me that whatever ministers to man on the lowest level, has one 
price; whatever ministers to him on a liigher level, has another valuation; 
but whatever ministers to man on the highest level is superlatively valu- 
able, and should be preserved at any cost. . . Whatever min- 
isters to the mind, to the higher functions of the intellect, above all to 
the immortal spirit in the finest exbibitions of its energies and jDowers, is 
worthy to bave sacrifice given for it, and to have treasures, even the 
treasures of mortal life, poured out freely for its preservation. 

" Now, gentlemen, what is it that makes Boston? Do your warehouses 
make Boston ? Do your stores make Boston ? Do your railroads make 
Boston? Do your miles of Avharfage make Boston? Do the white sails 
of your many ships make Boston ? Are these the things that make Boston, 



96 

and arc cliiefly valuable to it? No! What is it makes the man? Is it 
his body, his bone, his llesh, his fibre, his earthly embodiment in which he 
is? No! a thousand times no! The man is of importance by reason of 
that which is unseen; by that which is sublime but invisible; by that 
which is immortal, which you cannot touch, but which you sense and feel 
in your innermost spirit. These warehouses, these ships, these mansions, 
these things of iron and wood and stone are only the body of Boston, 
are only the iron nerves along which her interior, unseen, vital self com- 
municates her will; only the flesh in whicli she is living. But Boston is 
that unseen something, that immortal, sublime, invisible spirit that is not 
in this building or that building, but which buildings suggest and adver- 
tise to the public. And here in this building there is value beyond any 
material valuation, be-ause here Boston has her unseen, invisible, loftiest 
self suggested and expressed to the public. 

"Gentlemen of Boston, can you afford to let that which is so sweet, 
that which is so sacred, that which is so sublime a power in its sug- 
(T-estiveness, pass away? Why does Boston differ from Chicago? Why 
do we differ here from Cincinnati? Chicago can be burned level to the 
ground and civilization shall lose nothing but the material loss. Cincin- 
nati and St. Louis may be destroyed, and yet above their charred and 
blackened ruins the skill and money of men shall rear large cities. But 
if Boston is destroyed, not in the material expression of herself, but if 
the very blood in her arteries is spilled and let out carelessly on the 
ground, where is the fineness of touch, where is the subtle attraction that 
shall gather the spent drops from the sands at our feet, and recharge her 
empty veins with the noble and puissant current? 

"If in addition to the loss of the house where Benjamin Franklin was born, 
the old Hancock residence, and the Brattle Street Church, you shall add 
the Old State House, which has already been desecrated and half its 
sanctity destroyed, the Old South, and Fancuil Ilall, then what have 
you, Bostonians, left in any sense different from any city that has sprung 
up within the last twenty years? Take away these expressions of the 
soul, of the life of Boston, and what, I ask, have you left beyond any 
other city on the continent? Your graves are no longer sacred, for you 
have ploughed them up and sowed them with wheat. . . When 

these things, when the soul, as it were, of Boston has been taken out of 
her body, what has Boston left, and what splendor shall ever again shine 
in the light of her countenance? 

" Many of you know I do not feign what I say in speaking in public; 
and I say that I have been more profoundly stirred by the thought of the 
Old South passing away, than by any other thought that has come to me 
in my public life. . . ...•••• 

" I would, had I my wish, make this building a Westminster Abbey. I 



97 

would bring here the faces of our greatest men. I would put over there 
the face of Adams, and here of the elder Quiricy, and there I would hanw 
Otis, and in front I would put the beautiful countenance of AVarren; and 
Franklin should have a place, and all the great men in your early history 
should be here, as in no other gallery; and whenever a man on this o-lobe, 
or continent, wanted to see and get the inspiration of seeing the faces 
of these great men, he should come to Boston, yea, even here to this 
building to find them. 

" And there, besides the older faces, I would hang your younger men, 
descendants of the Putnams, and the Adamses, and the Shaws, and the 
Bancrofts, and the Lawrences, — those young, fresh flowers of life that 
were cut by the scythe of the late war or wilted in death under the fierce 
Southern sun, — I would bring those younger men here; for, when another 
century has passed on, who can tell tlie priceless value which the boys of 
that distant age, when America numbers not forty, but one hundred, or 
one hundred and forty millions, shall set upon such a heroic and memora- 
ble collection? " 

That this excellent suggestion of Mr. Murray in regard to the 
best use of the meeting-house, in case of its preservation, was 
favorably entertained in other quarters, we shall see a little fur- 
ther on. 

Edward S. Tobey, Esq., spoke a good word for the members of 
the Old South Society, declaring that they had acted in accordance 
with the dictates of their consciences and under sanction of the 
law. Many of them, he said, were ready to do as individuals 
what they could not do as members of the Society, towards the 
preservation of the meeting-house. 

Curtis Guild, Esq., followed with a few apt and eloquent re- 
marks, highly commending the part women took in such move- 
ments, and concluding with the nomination of a committee of 
twenty-four representative citizens to be charged with the duty of 
negotiating for the preservation of the building. 

It was announced that Moses H. Sargent, Esq., had consented 
to act as treasurer of the fund, and subscriptions were called for. 
Several thousand dollars were subscribed at once. The meeting 
then dispersed — a meeting which will always be memorable as 
one of the most remarkable ever held within the old church walls. 

The committee on preservation assembled without dela}-, chose 
Gov. Alexander H. Rice chairman, and issued an address to the 
people of New England. An immediate need of a hundred and 



98 

fifty thousand dollars was found to exist, and a committee of one 
hundred was appointed to solicit subscriptions. An extension of 
the time for the removal of the building till Jul}' 17th was obtained. 
Application was made to the standing committee of the Old South 
Society for a three or six months' lease of the land upon which 
the meeting-house stood, and for an agreement to sell at or before 
the expiration of the term, at a valuation to be fixed by three 
competent and disinterested appraisers. 

On the 13th of July a long answer was returned to this proposition, 
in which the Society's committee doubted their legal right to sub- 
mit the value to appraisement, agreed to grant tivo months' delay, 
and set the price of the land at $420,000 cash, to be paid on the 
ir)th of September. All of this was accompanied with the re- 
quirement, that, if at the end of the two months granted, the 
friends of preservation should find themselves unable to meet the 
above conditions, the preservation committee should ask no exten- 
sion ; and to this agreement they were to bind themselves in 
writing. 

The thing was impossible. Within two summer months, when 
the money of Boston was in the country or at the sea-shore, the 
committee were required to raise in cash almost a half a million 
dollars. By letter of July 15th modification of these terms was 
asked for and an offer made to pay interest on the appraised valu- 
ation of the property till January 1, 1877, if the time of purchase 
should be extended to that date. But this ofier was unanimously 
rejected hy the church committee, July 17th, -nho refused any 
modification of the terms previously announced. The preserva- 
tion committee sought a personal interview, but with little if any 
hope that the seemingly fixed purpose of the owners could be 
changed. 

The 17th of July had come. The committee seemed powerless. 
All their efforts appeared to have gone for naught. People looked 
to see the work of destruction begin. 

At this crisis the women of Boston stepped in, and saved the 
meeting-house. Having purchased the building for #3,500, twenty 
Boston ladies announced to the owners of the land that its exist- 
ence was secure, and that the only question was whether it 
should remain where it belonged, or be taken down and re- 



99 

erected ia another quarter of the cit}'. Architects had ben con- 
sulted, whose opinions enabled the ladies to put the responsibility 
squarely upon the church committee. A lease was asked for and 
an offer of indemnit\^ from ao}^ loss was made. Jul}' 20th the 
preservation committee held a meeting, Rev. E. E. Hale presiding, 
at which was adopted an address to the subscribers to the preser- 
vation fund. The address mentions the offer by the committee 
to purchase at appraisal, above alluded to, and then continues : — 

" The offer of such an appraisal had been made by the proprietors and 
accepted by the Historical Society some years ago. It was pubhcly, last 
February, accompanied by an offer of $25,000. To the utter surprise of 
the committee the Society withdraws from its proposition, demands the 
assessed value of the estate and refuses a lease altogether. Even a day's 
extension is made dependent upon the restoration of the building at the 
purchase price. They asked for no rent, but they required S2,000 bonus 
for two months' delay and retained themselves the property. 

" In such an emergency the women of Boston came to the committee's 
rescue. AVithout the knowledge of the gentlemen negotiating with the 
Old South, and by their own spontaneous movement, they have become 
the possessors of the building, and will only resign it when its preserva- 
tion is secured." 

This action of the ladies was widely applauded. But there was 
considerable division of sentiment in regard to the proposed re- 
moval of the building in case it could not remain on the spot 
where it had always been. Many friends of its preservation pre- 
ferred to see it destroyed, rather than removed to a location foreign 
to its history. 

The building having been secured, the next desirable thing was 
an extension of time for the purchase of the laud. By the original 
bill of sale sixty da3-s had been allowed, and these terminated on 
the 9th of Au;:ust. Early in that month petitions to the city 
government of Boston, asking municipal aid in the salvation of 
the meeting-house, were circulated and signed by thousands of tax- 
paj'ers. Governor Rice and "Wendell Phillips headed one such 
paper, and ex-Governor Claflin another. Official action on these 
petitions was deferred until September. 

July 24th the Council of the Massachusetts Historical Society 
accepted a previous offer of the Old South Society for the former 
association to become custodians of the meeting-house, and asked 
the church committee whether the advice of competent appraisers 



100 

might not be had in some legal manner satisfactory to counsel, 
and whether time could not be granted for the raising of the pur- 
chase money by subscription. Accompanying these requests was 
an offer to secure to the proprietors a fair income from the prop- 
erty during the time necessary for the raising of the money. July 
27th an answer was returned bj' the church, wlierein the state- 
ment of their legal inability to submit the valuation to appraisal 
was repeated, and a denial of any extension of the time beyond 
September loth was communicated. 

Then followed a period of several weeks of seeming inactivity, 
during which little information reached the public, though, as it 
subsequently transpired, the friends of preservation were not at all 
inactive. 

The 9th of August came and passed, and yet the building was 
unmolested. August 11th the clock was replaced in the church 
tower by the fire commissioners, but without any public intimation 
of how long it would remain. A tacit understanding came to exist, 
that things should remain in statu quo until the middle of Sep- 
tember. 

Finallv, on the 15th of September, it was publicly announced 
that negotiations for the purchase of the land had come to a fav- 
orable termination. Wednesday, October 18th, the papers 
passed, and the Old South came under the control of its friends. 
The purchase price was $400,000 ; of which sum $225,000 was 
advanced upon first mortgage by an insurance company, $75,000 
on second mortage, without interest, by Henry P. Kidder as trus- 
tee, and the remaining $100,000, without security, by a few indi- 
viduals whose names were not made public. The fee was trans- 
ferred directly to Royal M. Pulsifer, who executed a deed of trust 
to Henry P. Kidder and Henry Lee, the latter of whom had just 
been chosen to succeed Mr. Sargent as treasurer of the fund, Mr, 
Sargent having resigned by reason of press of other business. 

The trust deed recited that the trustee should hold the property 
subject to redemption by the holders of the preservation fund, who 
agreed to pay the serai-annual interest on the first mortgage, — the 
right of redemption to terminate on the non-paj-ment of interest 
five months after due. 

The building itself — which, by previous arrangement, had been 



101 

re-conveyed lo the Society — passed under a separate instrument. 
The conditions of this instrument were, that for the term of thirty 
years, the meeting-house, if left standing on its present site, should 
be used for historical or memorial, and not for business or com- 
mercial, purposes, and should not be opened for any purpose on 
the Sabbath. The latter restriction excited much unfavorable 
comment, and was agreed to by the purchasers only by reason of 
the fact that it was made an absolute condition of the completion 
of the purchase. 

Thus it will be seen that the work of preservation was by no 
means completed. Delay and friendly control were the only 
objects accomplished by the transfer. The violation of the con- 
ditions of the purchase made it lawful for the vendors to enter and 
repossess themselves of the property. 

The condition against the use of the church on Sunday was 
deemed so obnoxious, that it was finally annulled by the legislature 
in the exercise of its right of eminent domain. By Act of May 
11, 1877 (Chap. 222), the Old South Association in Boston was 
incorporated, for the purpose of acquiring and holding the meeting- 
house and the land under and adjacent to the same, " for public, 
historical, memorial, educational, charitable and religious uses 
and none other." 

The first thing done by the new proprietors was to scatter the 
hawkers and peddlers, who, against the wishes of the preserva- 
tion committee, had crowded the sidewalks around the premises 
during the summer months. The building was repaired and made 
tidy in its surroundings, and an iron fence put about the vacant 
space in front. For the first time in years the old monument pre- 
sented the same appearance familiar to the fathers. 

A series of entertainments in the meeting-house was at once 
arranged. The first took place on the evening of October 23d, 
since which time they have followed each other in rapid succes- 
sion. Not onlj' have these entertainments been given in the Old 
South and the public halls of Boston, but in private residences 
and in other towns and cities. April 9th, 1877, there occurred in 
Boston Music Hall one of the most extensive and elegant balls 
ever given in Massachusetts, the net proceeds of which, amount- 
ing to more than $2500, went to swell the fund. The time and 



102 

talents of New England's most illustrious sons and daughters have 
been enlisted in the cause, among them being Emerson, Long- 
fellow, Whittier, Holmes, Lowell, Everett, Eliot and a host of 
others. An appeal of the treasurer of the fund has appended to 
it the well known names of no less than one hundred and thirty- 
two gentlemen and fifty ladies — a committee which joined him in 
the application. " Not to have been a member of some commit- 
tee, proves 3'ou to be of the common people," said a facetious 
newspaper. 

The cherished object of some of the most zealous friends of 
preservation had been from the outset to transform the Old South 
into a historical museum, which, in its entiret}', should present 
progressive pictures of every period of New England's histor}'. 
As early as July, 1876, a meeting of those interested was held in 
Boston, Edward Everett Hale presiding. The result of the agita- 
tion of the subject was the incorporation of the New England 
Historical Society, whose object was to occupy the Old South for 
memorial purposes. It was said, that as this Commonwealth, 
then including Maine, furnished to the patriot cause one-half of 
the soldiers and sailors who fought the Revolution, it follows that 
one-half of the guns, swords and pistols, — one-half of the por- 
traits, — one-half of the commissions, letters, and journals of that 
period can be found in the possession of New Englanders.- Im- 
plements of peace, however, as well as weapons of war, were to 
be collected, and those representing earlier and later as well as 
Revolutionary times. Household utensils, implements of hus- 
bandry^, the products of art, industry and invention, all were to 
illustrate the periods of our history. By means of painting and 
sculpture the faces and forms of New England's heroes were to be 
made familiar. The mere transition in costume from the steel 
cap and leathern hose Miles Standish wore, and from the gaudy 
blanket and beaded moccasin of the Indians whom he fought, 
down to the garments of the present day, would fiu-nish an alcove 
with material. Said Mr. Hale, in an address on this subject, 
reported in the Boston Advertiser ^^ November 29, 1876 : — 

" If I might suggest the arrangement of the interior, the alcoves which 
are formed by the pillars of the first gallery should be devoted each to one 
of three great men. I should be glad to see so placed, the statue of Sam- 
uel Adams, to whom we owe the independence of America; of Hancock, 



103 

whose name stands first on the Declaration of Independence, each sur- 
rounded by the memorials of his life and trials. Above the two should be 
the declaration which exempted them only from pardon, while all other 
men might bend the knee. I would place it there that boys and girls 
might see how the disgrace of one age is the laurel of another, lieueath 
the window where Warren entered to deliver his oration to a crowd of 
enemies I wish Warren's statute might stand. In their fit places I should 
expect to see James Otis — the flame of fire — and John Adams, who gave 
him that designation. I should wish fit memorial of Ward, who was 
willing to stand second to Washington, — who so forgot himself in that 
great renunciation that he is this day forgotten by his country. I should 
look for Quincy, ' who died before he heard the echo of his thunder 
word,' and for Franklin. . . These are names of Massachusetts 

heroes of the Revolution ; but I would not forget the men of other genera- 
tions or other birth. I would certainly not forget W^inthrop, who preferred 
his thatched cottage where that church stands to a seat in Parliament and 
preferment under Cornwallis; and I should feel that the central figures of 
this pageant were lonely, if there did not stand among them their friend, 
the great head of that day when Boston last saw an enemy, the form of 

Washington Every child who looked round on the 

statues in this pantheon should read the history of these men's lives — 
should carry it home with him, should know why they are thus honored, 
and should come to know that thus it is well to live and well to die." 

A temporary loan collection of antiquities was opened in the 
meeting-house November 14, 1876, and by successive extensions 
remained open till December, 1877. The collection improved 
with age, and finally came to be the best exhibit of its kind ever 
seen in Boston. 

As these pages go to press active preparations are in progress 
for a grand fair in aid of the preservation fund, to be opened in 
the meeting-house on the evening of December 5th, and to con- 
tinue day and evening for two successive weeks. It is expected 
that this will net a larger profit than has been received from any 
other venture. The interest in it is widespread ; and with an 
active management and a generous public, it ought to take a long 
stride in the direction of preservation. 

Thus has been traced the history of the Old South Meeting- 
HousE from its foundation to the present time. It is hoped that 
the narrative may have been found not onl}' entertaining and in- 
structive to the general reader, but inspiring to him who desires 
the Old South's preservation. 



104 

Said Dr. Johnson : "Whatever withdraws us from the power of 
the senses ; whatever makes the past, the distant or the future 
predominate over the present, advances us in the dignity of human 
beings. . . . That man is little to be envied whose 
patriotism would not gain force on the plain of Marathon, or 
whose piety would not grow warm among the ruins of lona." 
With how much reason, then, may we exclaim, — 

"Ah, let us hope the people's hand may save 

This proud old building from its grave; 

Their noble faith beat back the encroaching creed 

Whose central law is Self — whose god is Greed!" 



105 



[The subject of the followino: ballad was suggested to the poet by a friend who had 
read in proof the incident narrated on pages 25 and 26 of the foregoing history.] 



A BALLAD OF THE FRENCH FLEET. 



BY H K N R Y W. LONGFELLOW. 
October, 1746. 

MR. THOMAS PKINCE loquituT . 

A FLEET Tvith flags arrayed 

Sailed from the port of Brest, 
And the Admiral's ship displayed 

The signal: " Steer southwest." 
For this Admiral D'Anville, 

Had sworn by cross and crown, 
To ravage with fire and steel 

Our helpless Boston Town. 

There were rumors in the street. 

In the houses there was fear 
Of the coming of the fleet, 

And the danger hovering near; 
And while from mouth to mouth 

Spread the tidings of dismay, 
I stood in the Old South, 

Saying humbly: " Let us pray!" 

" O Lord ! we would not advise; 

But if in thy Providence 
A tempest should arise 

To drive the French fleet hence. 
And scatter it far and wide. 

Or sink it in the sea. 
We should be satisfied. 

And thine the glory be." 



106 

This was the prayer I made, 

For my soul was all on flame, 
And even as I prayed 

The answering tempest came. 
It came with a mighty power, 

Shaking the windows and walls, 
And tolling the bell in the tower. 

As it tolls at funerals. 

The lightning suddenly 

Unsheathed its flaming sword, 
And I cried: " Stand still, and see 

The salvation of the Lord!" 
The heavens were black with cloud, 

The sea was white with hail. 
And ever more fierce and bud 

Blew the October gale. 

The fleet it overtook. 

And the broad sails in the van 
Like the tents of Cushan shook. 

Or the curtains of Midian. 
Down on the reeling decks 

Crashed the o'erwhelming seas; 
Ah, never were there wrecks 

So pitiful as these ! 

Like a potter's vessel broke 

The great ships of the line; 
They were carried away as a smoke, 

Or sank like lead in the brine. 
O Lord! before thy path 

They vanished and ceased to be, 
Where thou didst walk in wrath 

With thine horses through the sea! 

— Atlantic Monthly. 



